


Lilycove's New Breeding Service

by Sugarstep



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Aftercare, Anal Fingering, Anal Gaping, Anal Sex, Ass to Mouth, BDSM, Backstory, Barebacking, Bathing/Washing, Bisexuality, Biting, Blood, Bondage, Boys in Chains, Breathplay, Breeding, Bukkake, Camping, Chains, Clothed Sex, Courting Rituals, Cowgirl Position, Cuddling & Snuggling, Deepthroating, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Dirty Talk, Doggy Style, Dominance, Drama & Romance, Drunk Sex, Electrocution, Evolution, F/F, F/M, Face Slapping, Falling In Love, Finger Sucking, Foot Jobs, Furry, Gay Sex, Gore, Hangover, Happy Sex, Heterosexual Sex, Horseback Riding, Houen-chihou | Hoenn Region (Pokemon), Hugs, Human/Pokemon Relationship(s), Hypnotism, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Insults, Interspecies Relationship(s), Interspecies Romance, Interspecies Sex, Knotting, Lesbian Sex, Loss of Virginity, Loud Sex, Love Bites, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Milking, Missionary Position, Moaning, Multi, Multiple Orgasms, Non-Human Genitalia, Nudism, Oral Fixation, Oral Sex, Orgy, Original Character(s), Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Outdoor Sex, POV Alternating, POV First Person, POV Third Person, Painful Sex, Penis In Vagina Sex, Pokemon Battles, Pokemon Breeding, Pokemon Training, Pokemon/Pokemon Relationship(s), Pokephilia, Polyamory, Porn Watching, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Rimming, Safewords, Scent Marking, Scenting, Sexual Tension, Shame, Shower Sex, Singing, Size Difference, Smut, Spanking, Spit As Lube, Spitroasting, Submission, Talking Pokemon, Temperature Play, Tentacles, Texting, Thighs, Threesome, Wolf Instincts, Wolf Pack, Workplace Relationship, Workplace Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:01:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 19
Words: 185,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24858826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sugarstep/pseuds/Sugarstep
Summary: After suddenly securing a role at a Pokémon breeding ranch owned by a charming businessman, Alex Campbell soon discovers that its employees do a lot more than just sell eggs to trainers. Coming from a family which discouraged him from owning even a single Pokémon, Alex is excited to finally work with the creatures that have fascinated him since childhood. His textbook knowledge of Pokémon biology and psychology makes him a useful asset to the business, but is he really willing to accept the unspeakable things that happen behind the ranch’s closed doors?Once he settles down, he realises that the only people allowed to work at the Brooks Breeding Service are those whoreallylove Pokémon.
Relationships: Original Pokemon Trainer(s)/Original Pokemon Trainer(s), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon/Original Female Character(s), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon/Original Human Character(s), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon/Original Male Character(s), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon/Original Pokemon Trainer(s), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon/Pocket Monsters | Pokemon
Comments: 71
Kudos: 191





	1. The Lucky Break

**Author's Note:**

> It only took about three years, but this story has finally made its way over to AO3! Chapters 1 to 5 have been fully overhauled, with 6 to 10 hopefully following in the next few months. If this is your first exposure to Lilycove, then I apologise for the differences in style that are present between 6 to 10. I'm working to get them revamped, but I just couldn't wait to copy this story over here any longer. Give me a follow on twitter - @sugarsteponme - if you want to follow my writing process or interact with me. Thanks for reading! <3

When I finished my final year of high school, I expected a job to just naturally fall into my spotless hands. I wouldn't call myself entitled or cocky, just massively misinformed about the world. I had spent my entire school career being showered with nothing but praise by irresponsible teachers. They told me that I would have no problems getting a good job, and to my young, impressionable mind, this meant that I should just kick back and relax until my school days ended abruptly. How was I supposed to know that it would be much more difficult to find work when I was only… like, thirteen? Hell, I was still stuck in that blissful mindset right up until my eighteenth. I thought the offers would flood in after my graduation.

The freedom was incredible for the first few months, and I could spend entire weeks at a time binging old anime and corny TV shows while slowly turning nocturnal. Nothing brought me more satisfaction than listening to my neighbours leaving for work in the hellish, early hours of the morning, while I could lie back and load up another season of Hoenn's Most Wanted. However, this novelty soon wore off and I found myself wanting something that I had never really thought about before. Normalcy. I felt like a weird drifter, aimlessly wandering through life while simultaneously staying in the same place. All of my friends had learned to drive, gotten not-so-glamorous jobs and formed new relationships while I buried myself at home. Soon enough, everybody stopped trying to contact me after I ignored all of their messages.

Sure, you could call me lazy. I'm not going so far as to say I'd blame the school system, but I always had trouble interacting with other people my age. That was the single weakness I was told to work on by the career advisors. Social skills were the ultimate bane of my teenage life. Somehow, I found it much easier to limit my horizons and stay within Lilycove's local area instead of diving into adventures and situations I wasn't comfortable with. Why should I get a young trainer's licence and travel the world when sitting on my computer was much easier? Despite this denial, the advisors had always noticed my immense interest in Pokémon studies.

Here in the wonderful, tropical region of Hoenn, there's a great focus on competitive battling. If you were to ask any child who had been raised in Hoenn what they wanted to be when they were older, whether they lived in Verdanturf or Rustboro, the answer would almost always be a professional Pokémon trainer. Keep in mind, this wasn't just someone who owned a couple of Pokémon for companionship and battled casually with their close friends, but an expert who travelled to each city and took on the arduous Gym circuit. I'm honestly not sure why there's such an idolisation of battling here, but to be a famous trainer, you need to have a massive competitive spirit that burns brighter than all the rest. For me, it just didn't exist.

I had always been slightly different in that regard. My fervent interest could be found in the Pokémon themselves rather than how well they could unleash a Fire Blast or how quickly they could reduce an opponent to a whimpering mess. From my point of view, people here tend to forget that they're living, breathing creatures with ambitions and personalities. They're all astoundingly different with their own fascinating quirks and habits, so I did all that I could to devote myself to learning about them. Pokémon biology and psychology were the two reasons that I endured school for so long, letting the more boring stuff like economics and mathematics fall to the wayside. Outside of the Pokémon-related classes, I was average.

So, why the hell was it so hard to get a job? For someone who wanted to work _alongside_ Pokémon instead of selfishly using them for their own monetary gain, my options were severely limited from the start. I could work in a Center, but then I would have to go to medical school for six years and know how to treat a Charizard's exhausted flame gland without damaging its delicate throat. Performing well under such stress wasn't viable at all. Instead, I could work for Devon, developing innovative technologies which were destroying the large barrier between people and Pokémon, but then I'd have to be an engineering genius. These jobs were far too important for someone like me. Someone who just loved Pokémon.

Here I was, wanting some miracle job that involved getting to spend time with these creatures and not too much interaction with my own species. The famous daycare in Mauville was on the other side of the region, and my opportunities in Lilycove were dwindling by the minute. I wasn't prepared to don a flashy tuxedo and perform alongside a beautiful Gardevoir in a sequined dress, but it was getting to that point. Contests had always creeped me out to no end. The evocative costumes the Pokémon would wear seemed to capture my attention the most.

These complicated thoughts swirled feverishly around my head while I let the warm water cascade over my naked body. I somewhat wished that the troubling doubts of my grim future would be washed away and sent down the clogged drain. Showers had always been some sort of strange respite from all of the lounging around I did, where I would feel invigorated and ready to finally face the scary world. It was probably because I was getting something done, even if that was just simply getting clean. Everyone needed to shower. Even Steven Stone. Usually, once I stepped out into the cold bathroom, this motivated feeling would fade away. Maybe I should never emerge from the water and somehow get a job while my cock was out.

At some point in the last week that I could barely remember, I realised that I was miserable and enough was enough. Conquering my fear of social interaction, I posted a small flyer in the local PokéMart and Center. Essentially, it was a desperate plea for any new breeders or trainers who needed help with their Pokémon to give me a call. I listed my few achievements and qualifications, hoping that my stellar grades in biology and psychology would suffice. Apparently, that was as far as my renewed drive went, and now I was just waiting for my phone to buzz with a job offer. The chances of that happening were slim, but I could dream.

As if on cue, I was suddenly blasted with an embarrassing, upbeat ringtone that pierced over the sound of rushing water. It was safe to have such a gaudy ringtone just because I was the only one who would ever hear it. Months had passed without a single call reaching my cell. The music was a good enough excuse to leave the heavenly warmth and face the biting cold. Wrapping a long, blue towel around my waist with little concern to what it actually covered, I checked the cracked screen hopefully. My heart skipped as it wasn't just a random alarm.

Was an unknown phone number truly flashing away on my screen? The beautiflies fluttered around inside my stomach in a nervous frenzy, which wasn't uncommon when I had to speak to a total stranger over the phone, but there was just a tinge of excitement that made me want to answer without hesitation. With a shaking hand, I brushed strands of sopping, brown hair away from my eyes and looked at myself in the mirror. Anticipating what kind of voice I would hear through the other end, I cleared my inexperienced throat and fell into silence.

"Hello, is this Alex Campbell?" a calm, male voice announced. There was something oddly professional about the way he spoke, like the head of a company. Such unbridled confidence indicated that he had experience speaking with clients through a phone. "I noticed your flyer in the PokéMart and I wanted to ask you a couple questions. Would that be alright with you?"

"Uh, yeah, sure…" I replied slowly, my voice wavering with anxious tension as I chose to lean unceremoniously on the edge of the sink. I barely registered the towel slipping away. It'd only be a problem if he suddenly wanted to video call. "What do you want to know?"

"Well, my name is Thomas Brooks. I'm a private breeder located not too far out of Lilycove, and I've been looking for some fresh staff this year," he mused, completely oblivious to the shock and disbelief soaring from somewhere deep inside of me. "This flyer says that you got top results in both PokéBio and PokéPsych. Does that unbelievable fact happen to be true?"

"Yeah, top only in the Hoenn region, that is…" I stumbled, surprised at my own remarkable accomplishments when they were said from someone else's lips. Strange. I used to be smart. "The courses aren't taken very often, so it's not as impressive as it sounds. Only about twenty people from Lily High sat each exam by the end of the year. They're famously easy as well."

"Don't give me any of that, kid!" he scoffed, his tone suddenly changing to be more casual. The unexpected shift made me shiver and straighten my back like a young, scared schoolboy. "You should be proud of what you achieved. It made me interested in what else you can do."

Was this really happening? This random man noticed the small, boring flyer that I had made with the dregs of ink left in my old printer, and thought I was worthy enough for a quick call. From the way he spoke, it sounded like he managed an actual business. That was exceedingly rare in the breeding community, as most new trainers or families would either catch a local Pokémon or take unwanted eggs from the region's daycare. Most popular breeders were extortionate in their high prices, and only those serious about competitive battling could afford to get a tournament-viable Pokémon bred. How did he find any customers out here?

"What I can do?" I asked, wanting clarification. This is where the phone conversation would inevitably end, with me admitting that I had no proper experience in a working environment. Nobody would hire an employee just because of their high school exam results. Nobody sane.

"Let's see here…" he began, a certain drawl to his voice that made my heart slide up and sit like a stone in my throat. "Can you tell me the… breeding behaviour of male Swellow?"

"Honestly, I'm not too confident in my knowledge of flying types, but I know that Swellow are especially prideful of their plumage," I recalled, wracking my underworked memory while barely missing a beat. If I could rely on one thing, it was remembering behaviours. "They'll often compete against other males through performances and tests of skill, and the sole female will often breed with the healthiest one that has the most vivid chest patterns."

There was a question that was similar to the one he had asked in the final exam paper for Pokémon psychology, but it featured Unfezant rather than Swellow. The breeding rituals of most avian species are the same, where extravagant displays of their stature and plumage replace the violent fights for dominance found in more mammalian species like Mightyena. Also, it helped that Swellow were native to Hoenn and thus a common example used in lessons, but I still wasn't expecting such an involved question. Mating habits were actually an area of great interest to me, although I could never exactly explain why. They were such an integral aspect of Pokémon interaction that most people never seemed to even acknowledge. Probably because a regular person didn't want to watch footage of natural breeding sessions. I was pleased to receive such a question, since it meant that we shared some common ground.

"Damn," he responded, after I heard a shrill sound that must have been an impressed whistle pierce its way through the phone's speaker. I couldn't help but smile widely at such a sound. "That's totally correct and there's no chance you would have had enough time to Google it."

"As you can probably tell, I spent more time with books than people," I laughed nervously, bare shoulders relaxing slightly now that I had answered his question correctly. My heart was still racing, but it would have been worse if he had posed a scenario that I didn't understand.

"That's nothing to be ashamed of," he noted, voice growing fainter as he cleared his throat. Such a busy job must require a lot of talking. "Now, I'm not going to hire you based on that piece of knowledge, but I'm willing to meet up for a short interview. When's good for you?"

I didn't want to admit to the professional businessman that my crazy plans for today involved re-reading some old manga and eating expired cereal straight from the box in my underwear. Honesty was important to employers, but the more that I thought about it, there was no way to put a positive spin on laziness like that. Maybe I could try to pretend it was healthy cereal? Just picturing the sugar-filled, multicoloured ensemble of 'food' that was waiting for me in the kitchen put a stop to that dumb question. I wondered how the stuff hadn't killed me yet.

"I didn't make any plans for today, so whenever you want to discuss things is okay with me," I replied, settling on that vague explanation. Sometimes, it was better than telling the truth.

The rest of the phone conversation consisted mostly of boring location details, which became hard to give my full attention due to what felt like Mount Chimney itself erupting inside me. Even though I should have been shivering under the cool morning breeze coming from the window, my excitement was rising so much that I had dried from the shower in record time. Maybe everyone should just sit around and wait for random breeders with boatloads of cash to give them a call. There was one thing that I knew for sure – I was definitely going to buy a lottery ticket on my way to his breeding ranch. Arceus was certainly favouring me right now.

"Alex, I'm expecting great things from you!" he proclaimed loudly, and I could practically see the eager grin spreading across his non-existent face. High expectations were dangerous. "You'll probably be meeting the other staff, so try and make an effort to look presentable!"

After that exclamation, my phone went dead silent, leaving me with nothing but the sudden realisation that I could have a new, fulfilling career by the end of the day. It had taken months of depressed inaction for me to seek this productive path. Goodbye were the pitiful days of avoiding social media because everyone seemed to be doing more interesting things than me. Hello to the rough days of having to wake up at a reasonable time or else I'd be totally fired. Ah… the ebbs and flows of adult life. Still not nearly as thrilling as Hoenn's Most Wanted.

* * *

Once I finished making myself look as professional as possible, which was really just putting on my nicest pair of jeans rather than sweatpants, I embarked on the expedition to the ranch. Thankfully, it was only about a thirty-minute walk from the outskirts of Lilycove, which was still the longest I had stayed outside in weeks. If the trek was any further, then my lack of a driver's licence and a vehicle would be a glaring problem. For now, this exercise just stayed as a mild, sweat-inducing inconvenience. There was no way I was going to beg my big brother to drive me into a breeding ranch every single day. He was too preoccupied at work.

The deadly sun was blazing in the sky when I arrived at what must have been the famous ranch. It was hidden away in a remote area of Route 121 that I had never seen before, despite spending most of my childhood exploring all of its nooks and crannies. The distinct, heavy smell of sea salt was still present here, even though I had passed by the open ocean long ago. The bitter scent was something that I had grown accustomed to, since I had only left Lilycove a handful of times, where the smell was far less prevalent. Thankfully, it was very nostalgic and helped to calm my agitated nerves. Even though I was thrilled about meeting Thomas, I couldn't help but slip back into my old habits of wanting to turn right back and return home. The further I walked, the worse the sickly sensation became. Maybe this was an awful idea. My hesitation was so powerful that I barely spotted a rare Aipom snoozing away overhead. Once the reception building finally emerged from the birch trees, I thought about running.

No, Alex! Stop being a fucking idiot. Walk yourself through that door and get this damn job.

Luckily, my unsteady legs complied after getting berated by my mind. The building itself was surprisingly tiny, and couldn't have been much more than a couple of rooms. I noticed that a handmade, wooden signpost was hammered into the patchy ground outside of the entrance. Neon-green paint had been splashed across the splintered board in the vague shape of words that read 'Brooks' Breeding Service'. That quelled my anxieties of entering the wrong place. Tall, white fences sprawled across the perimeter of the ranch to ensure that none of its rowdy residents wandered outside. Although, I was certain that a few would still be able to climb it. The entire area was also blanketed in thorny bushes and thick moss. Placing a ranch in the middle of a verdant forest made it look beautiful, but I wasn't sure of the business benefits. My good shoes were already caked in new dirt, fallen leaves and sharp twigs. Unfamiliar customers had a good chance of getting lost in the woods and ending up in the Safari Zone.

After taking a deep breath and finally pushing open the plywood door, I was greeted with a sparsely-furnished welcome room that reminded me of a cheap office building. A desktop computer that was several generations old sat on a pristine counter, and that was about the only piece of recent technology in here. A huddle of padded chairs and a low table sat in the very middle of the room, clearly an area where the clients would rest. Various magazines were splayed out across the table, all with bold headlines and short, prompting paragraphs. An engineering pamphlet was speculating about Devon's new, mysterious invention that was about to change the world, but I knew better than to take the words of some writer seriously. Overall, the room was very drab. A potted plant that looked like it was barely clinging to life at least threw some colour into the mix, even if the tips of its leaves were brown and crisped. Whatever employee was supposed to be watering the greenery clearly wasn't doing their job.

More interestingly, was the slender, youthful man wearing an expensive, black business suit. He should have been working in a consulting firm rather than a breeder's. Despite his age, he was lounging coolly on a swivel chair liked he owned the whole place, his polished dress shoes propped up on the counter next to the computer. His oily, black hair was slicked back, and he had a Bluetooth headset clipped onto his ear. He soon noticed me cowering in front of the entryway like a frightened toddler and his face immediately illuminated with acceptance.

"Afternoon," he smirked, and it didn't take long for me to recognise the voice. I had expected Thomas to be wearing dirty dungarees and hiking boots, welcoming me with a dented shovel propped over his muscular shoulders. In actuality, he looked remarkably young for owning such a prosperous business and couldn't have been much older than me. The only subtle hint towards his age were the bags and dark circles under his green eyes. That and the dress sense.

"Uh, hi there… Thomas," I replied, shy as a virgin schoolgirl confessing her affection for a much more experienced, older boy. Like always, I avoided direct eye contact and instead focused on the stained, dark-blue carpet. All that vigour from earlier hadn't lasted very long.

"No need to stand there in the doorway like a skittish Skitty, come on, let's walk and talk."

With that short exchange, I reluctantly followed him outside the backdoor of the reception building and into the vast, rolling fields. Instantly, my bony jaw slackened in wonderment as the smooth, grassy hillocks were littered with various Pokémon. Easily the most that I had ever witnessed in a single place before! A plump Volbeat buzzed welcomingly around our heads as Thomas ushered me through a wooden archway, and a fuzzy Lillipup stopped play-fighting with a Growlithe to bark in our direction. Just scanning my immediate surroundings yielded new species that I had never seen in the flesh, only ever in musty, tattered textbooks. I watched an infant Espurr struggle to levitate a juicy, purple berry up to its frowning mouth. Awkwardly, a tiny Bounsweet stared at the grey feline with an expression of absolute terror. Even with the grass type's mortification, it exuded a delicious smell into the nearby air that reminded me of fresh watermelons. The entire ranch was alive with sights, scents and sounds.

Most interestingly, I noticed a large Mudsdale slowly meander around the field closest to us. His clodded hooves seemed the shake the very ground we were standing on, and he wore the heavy-lidded, stoic expression that they were so infamous for. The exotic, Alolan species was one of my favourites, mostly because the tropical region had existed under the radar until fairly recently. It was my first opportunity to see one that wasn't statically printed on a page, and I couldn't help but stop in my tracks and watch the earthy, equine Pokémon graze calmly. For whatever reason, I had to force my gaze not to wander in-between his strong, back legs.

"Now, there's an expression that tells me lots about you," Thomas grinned as he turned back. I had completely forgotten about tailing behind him, too wrapped up in watching every little interaction between the ranch residents. "Your fascination with Pokémon goes beyond deep knowledge, doesn't it? You look at them all in the exact same way that my workers and I do."

"My mum never allowed me to get a trainer's license, so I've never really had the chance to spend a lot of time with Pokémon like these," I admitted, kneeling down to rub at the belly of the ecstatic Lillipup that had since barrelled over to us both. He seemed comfortable with me.

"Really?" he questioned incredulously, skilfully kicking a stray stone from the dirt pathway. "I thought you would've had a Zigzagoon or an Oddish at home. They count as safe pets."

"Family just didn't really see the point," I muttered, trying not to think about all the lonely years I had spent longing to have a simple, companion Pokémon. All of my birthday wishes had been spent on that, and it never came true. That was when I stopped believing in magic.

Catching up with Thomas after falling far behind, I realised that we were walking towards a new building which looked a lot different from the reception area. This time, it looked like a strange cross between a farmyard barn and a massive shed. Made entirely from wood, it was painted a dull, blueish colour that was beginning to fade from age and exposure to harsh rain. However, on the front, there was a much more vivid design. Above the wide doorframe, there was a classic representation of a Pokémon egg. The cream-coloured oval with green spots had been recently painted on the shed, judging by its clarity. We came to a slow stop outside.

"As you can probably tell, this is where we store and incubate all the eggs after they've been laid by the females," he explained, sliding a hand into one of the shallow pockets of his suit. "Want to take a look inside? I'm sure Hannah's still on her break with the others, but I have a spare set of keys. She won't mind as long as we don't touch anything or leave the door open."

Without even waiting for me to give a reply, he jammed a silver key into the rustic lock and twisted with enough force that the entire door wobbled. It creaked open slowly, revealing a long row of strange, capsule-like machines mounted on pedestals against the furthest wall. They looked extremely futuristic, almost like alien machines, and it must have cost a fortune to buy this many of them. There looked to be at least twenty-five, all containing a myriad of large eggs swaddled in blankets. Condensation frosted the glass, meaning that each capsule had to maintain a specific temperature for incubation. Some of the eggs were speckled, while others had much more intricate designs and colours. I didn't want to get any closer due to the risk of disturbing something important, but even watching them from afar filled me with glee. Just a couple feet away from me were developing baby Pokémon. The eggs were so delicate, yet they were capable of producing such intricate life. I wondered how many lives were here.

"Take a guess at what species that egg belongs to," Thomas smirked, while pointing at the capsule on the far right. "Not saying that this is part of your interview or anything, but if you can get this one right then I'll be impressed. Eggs are usually overlooked by normal people."

While it was difficult to see through the foggy, frosted glass, I noticed that the shell was a very faint, baby-blue colour. It was common knowledge that eggs often left clues as to the precious contents inside, but this one didn't have many features. Squinting my eyes, I could discern something else hidden amidst the blue. What looked to be white splotches covered the sides of the egg, barely noticeable alongside the pastel colours. What Pokémon vaguely bared a resemblance? The splotches were pretty similar to white smoke, puffy and bulbous. Although, it couldn't be Torkoal, because the blue wouldn't make sense. After a minute, I gasped as an epiphany struck me. That wasn't a depiction of smoke. They were fluffy clouds.

"It must be a Swablu egg, right?" I asked, confident in my eventual answer. "Light blue with clouds on the sides. Did you pick that one because I said that flying types aren't my forte?"

"You really are something else, kid!" he laughed while heartily patting me on the shoulder. The man was much stronger than he looked, as each new slap was like a forceful dropkick. "If I asked the same question to anyone else your age, I doubt they'd be able to give me the proper answer. They're more concerned with what comes out of the egg than the egg itself!"

As we left the expensive incubation shed, we walked a little further through the ranch while making some more small talk. The way Thomas carried himself, wildly making gestures and confidently putting his hands all over me was completely different from the way that I acted. We were total opposites, with him being overzealous while I was unsure. With the suit, he adopted the demeanour of a salesman with decades of experience. If anything, it explained how he could effortlessly talk with strangers and run a breeding business at such a young age. He had either been born with the ability to be charismatic, or had brutally trained for the skill.

We had passed countless different Pokémon at this point, and I was left stunned at the variety of different species he was able to keep and breed. Sensing my speechlessness, he explained that some of his clients often requested a very specific Pokémon that they couldn't obtain by themselves, and then he needed to travel across different regions and catch what they wanted. Once he returned to the ranch, he would introduce that new Pokémon and breed it with a suitable partner to produce the egg. The ranch never exports an egg before it hatches first, as the employees monitor the offspring to ensure there are no issues. These egg escapades only happen a few times every year, but the amount of money received makes it worth the hassle. Generally, the breeding service generates the most profits by selling surplus eggs that the ranch naturally produces just by having so many different species. Most Pokémon reproduce at insanely high rates, so they would always be swimming in new eggs, no matter the season. After listening, I decided that it was an efficient way to run a business, despite its initial costs.

We had also travelled through distinct biomes within the fielded vicinity, that he said were made artificially where it was possible, so that the more exotic Pokémon could feel at home. Route 121's bountiful forests filled with towering trees and temperate plant life were most enjoyed by the nocturnal species or those who preferred shade. I could see a sprawling lake to the north of the ranch, containing the water types and others which couldn't function on land. There was even a massive, sandy trench that was heated by generators, for any Pokémon that were found in the desert. I was astonished by the sheer variety of the terrain and the lengths that Thomas went through to create these habitats. He really cared about what his residents actually desired, not just the profits that they made him in the end. It was definitely inspiring.

"How much did it cost to build all of this?" I asked. There was no way that someone could construct a ranch on this scale without having a ton of money beforehand. Most owners of daycares and ranchers were older couples, reaching retirement, because they had collected a massive amount of funds by working hard for decades. Thomas had to be in his mid-twenties.

"There's no way I'm telling you the figures outright, but let's just say that I come from a rich background and that family covered most of it until I actually started making all the money," he said professionally, brushing some dirt off the front of his suit jacket with a handkerchief. "In the end, I was lucky to have support, but that doesn't mean I didn't have to work for this."

He was clad in a preppy suit and smelled of expensive cologne, but I had noticed the way that he clutched his back and strained whenever he had to bend down. His hands were rough and callused despite looking like he'd never touched a shovel. Deep scars ran across his knuckles. Clearly, he had spent years digging ditches and replanting trees. Even though I barely knew him, and we had only talked for a couple hours, I was starting to respect and idolise the man. We came from different backgrounds, but our love for Pokémon made me feel like we had an inherent connection. He was devoted enough to build this paradise for them to breed safely.

Finally, we came to what looked like our last stop on the tour of the ranch. On the northern side of the land, nearest the lake and nestled between some trees, was an old-fashioned lodge. It was easily the largest building on the entire property, although it was still keeping with the wooden aesthetic of the other structures, but was far more imposing than all of the other ones. Funnily enough, it reminded me of a mediocre hotel or a place where young kids would stay during a summer getaway. Even with its simple exterior, I could see plenty of modern art and new furniture through the large windows, though most of them were covered by red curtains. I wasn't really sure what the purpose of the lodge was, as I believed that the entrance building would serve as a break room for the workers. Sensing my confusion, Thomas chuckled softly.

"The wonderful people that work on this ranch spend all day slaving under the sun, tending to the Pokémon and making sure things don't fall apart," he began, spreading both of his arms wide to highlight the size of his massive lodge. "I feel terrible that I'm never out there with them as much as I used to be, so this where they come to unwind and take some time off!"

How many people did he even employ? The lodge certainly looked like it could house at least ten workers, but I hadn't even seen a single other human being working in the ranch's fields. Thomas said earlier that someone was on their break, but that had been almost a full hour ago and there was still no activity anywhere. Maybe they were all just very skilled at hiding away. I would just spend all of my time playing with all of the adorable ranch Pokémon and trying not to interact with other people, so I couldn't exactly blame them for avoiding us like that.

"So Alex, this is going to be your final test!" Thomas revealed, gripping onto the banister of the lodge's staircase and gesturing to the wooden door. "It's all fine and good that I've taken a liking to you, but now you need to win over my treasured employees. If they all give me the go-ahead, then you're welcome to start working at the ranch. I've saved the hardest for last!"

That was when I started to panic. Through some practice, I could endure having one-on-one conversations with people, but having to meet groups of strangers all at once left me feeling extremely overwhelmed. If they were anything like Thomas, then there wouldn't be much of a problem of finding things to speak about, but as always, it was still really nerve-wracking. The realisation that this was my dream job made accepting this social ordeal slightly easier. The suave businessmen gave me another pat on the shoulder for re-assurance and began to stride back down the long pathway. He passed the Lillipup that followed us all the way here.

"I've got some business to attend to, but I trust the rest of the gang to show you the ropes of what this ranch is all about," he clarified following my nervous silence, giving me a final, unconcerned wave. I could do nothing else but stare at the back of his suit. "They don't bite."

After he was little more than a black speck in the distance, I strode up to the lodge's door in a strange spark of motivated bravery. In hard times like this, I had learned to shut my brain off. Thomas had probably informed them about my existence, so there was no point in knocking unless I wanted to make things even more uncomfortable. As I turned the brass doorknob, I tried to prepare myself for what came next. All I had to do was make a good first impression on whatever group of people were inside here. The cramped, thin hallway I was faced with travelled straight forwards to another tall door that was mostly closed, barely hanging ajar. Just in front of me, there were three sets of shoes. A large, muddied pair of hiking boots, comfortable sandals with a feminine shape and flashy, pink trainers that had been sharpied. Were there only three people in this entire lodge? The whole workforce was only just a trio?

It didn't take long for me to hear a strange, faint noise behind the open door. It sounded like someone getting repeatedly slapped over and over again. It made me wonder if two of the staff members had gotten into some kind of fight. That would not be a good way to introduce myself if I had to break two angry people apart. My courageous steps began to falter as the familiar feeling of wanting to get the hell out of this place washed over me in a flash. Honestly, I was just tired of reassuring myself that there was nothing to freak out about here. Ignoring the accurate sense of dread, I simply walked forwards and gently pushed on the door with a hesitant finger, letting it swing open mostly by itself, intent on interrupting the issue.

Instead, I witnessed a muscular Gallade sitting on a couch with a woman grinding away on his white lap. The psychic Pokémon's eyes were tightly closed in satisfaction as a muffled groan escaped past his teeth. The girl was completely naked, her perky breasts bouncing as she raised herself up and down on the Gallade's stiff member. I didn't need to watch the scene unfold any further to understand what was happening. The smell of bodily sweat, the girl's high-pitched squeals and the wet, slapping sounds were more than enough indication. And yet, I kept focusing on the depravity in front of me. My eyes held for a little too long.

"Shit, s-sorry! I didn't mean to-" I blurted out, when my rational mind finally processed that what they were doing wasn't normal. I was still too stunned to tear my eyes away from the Gallade's lengthy shaft rubbing against the girl's shaved lips. She was having sex with him. She was passionately fucking a Pokémon at a place where they were meant to be protected. There was no other way around the sight, as much as I wanted to find another explanation.

So much for making a good impression on these people. Now I was a witness to a crime.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 5 Sugary Tips to Enhance Your Reading Experience:
> 
> 1\. Be aware that this is a mature fanfiction, that will cover a wide variety of fetish material. It's likely that not everything will be your cup of tea, but it's my goal to include a lot of scenarios and pairings that a variety of people will enjoy. Just keep that in mind, alright?
> 
> 2\. Check out my profile for a summary of important information and status updates related to the next chapter of this story. I'm making an effort to update it every week with my progress.
> 
> 3\. Feel free to follow me on Twitter at – @sugarsteponme – for my own thoughts and plans related to what I'm writing. You might get to see sneak peeks or behind-the-scenes stuff!
> 
> 4\. You can always request for a Pokémon to potentially be featured in future, smutty scenes! The easiest way to get me to see these requests is by leaving them in a comment, but if you'd rather DM on this site or even through Twitter, that's also totally fine. While I do record every request, there's no guarantee that your specific one will make it into a chapter. Just to be clear, I do not consider suggestions for new original characters or directions for the story.
> 
> 5\. Lastly, you're awesome for reading this far. To everyone who has supported this fic over the years, and to everyone who is discovering it now, thank you from the bottom of my heart!


	2. Brandon, Katie and Hannah

"For Arceus' sake Katie! Why couldn't you have just taken Julian into one of the bedrooms?"

Currently, I was sitting numbly on the couch that had been used for terrible debauchery only a few moments earlier. I didn't even care if I was stuck in the middle of a damp, sticky patch of fluids since my legs refused to carry me anymore. I was in complete shock, barely able to believe the surreal events that were unfolding before me. The woman who I had seen naked, presumably Katie, was still panting breathily and flushed a tickled pink. She had urgently thrown on a cream sweater and tight, denim shorts while she was getting berated by a male worker with curly hair. The Gallade, who had long since lost his vigour, was standing still and solemn behind the woman, crimson, expressionless eyes obscured by his knightly visor.

"You've only just gone and traumatised the newbie," he continued, and I imagined that he was gesturing to me with a muscled hand. My head was now solidly in my hands, blood cold, contemplating the sexual scene I had just interrupted. I couldn't look any of them in the eyes.

"Well, how the fuck was I supposed to know that Thomas would be done with him so fast!?" she retaliated in an embarrassed, defensive shriek. "He said it was fine for us to unwind!"

Fucking a Pokémon was what he meant by unwind? Thomas not only knew what these awful people were doing behind closed doors, but was actively encouraging it for their own benefit? I felt sick to my stomach. I had never imagined that employees who worked for a breeder would even attempt doing something so abhorrent. Sure, there were news stories and scandals about poképhilia all the time, but they always involved celebrities or government officials who had been arrested for abuse. These people weren't even important. Nobody would know. I could feel my hands shaking with total rage even though they kept a tight grip on my head.

"Hey, you're Alex, right?" the man asked. After a thoughtful pause, I slowly raised my head and met his concerned gaze. His curly hair was a light, dirty-brown and he wore thick glasses that had a geeky, plastic frame. There was an intense kindness to his faint smile despite all the panicked shouting he had done earlier. "The name's Brandon! Sorry you had to see that."

"… I don't have anything to say for people like you," I spat venomously, allowing the vitriol to override my normally shy, reserved self. I had started to think that this would finally be the place where I could belong, but that dream had been shattered. These people abused obedient Pokémon that they were already using to run a business. "What you're doing here isn't right."

"Hey now, it's alright - we're all consenting here," he replied, brushing a huge, careful hand against my bouncing knee. I was tempted to swat it away, surprised by his forward nature. "That Gallade there has been with Katie for his entire life, since he was just a little Ralts."

"So that gives her the right to use him for her own pleasure?" I countered, succumbing to an unusual, combative anger which bubbled up from deep in my gut. I hated the new feeling.

" _Katie has never used me, not even once. You should know better than anyone that we can make our own choices, though most Pokémon lack the capabilities to communicate them."_

I could hear a strange, ethereal voice invade my stunned mind. It was strong and composed. Unnerved, I frantically looked around until I found its source. The Gallade had now turned towards me, his widened eyes aflame with a mysterious, cobalt glow. His stoic face was emotionless, and his lips didn't move. So, this was what it felt like to have psychic type speak with you telepathically. The voice was unnaturally soothing, reverberating around in my skull until I had calmed down a little. As if by magic, his words made complete sense to me now.

"Well, that doesn't change the fact that it's illegal…" I muttered, resisting the Gallade's masterful persuasion. His stance wasn't relaxed, rather poised and tightened just in case things escalated any further. His viridian elbow blades were sharp and imposing, crossed protectively over Katie, his dear trainer. I shuddered with the thought of being attacked.

"Actually, it's not illegal," the woman piped up. Her breathing was less erratic, and I offered her a brief, considering glance. She was rather tall and curvy, not exactly hourglass-shaped, but her hips were pretty well defined. The denim shorts she was wearing didn't really do her any favours in hiding her voluptuous figure. Her strawberry-blonde hair was tied in a messy ponytail, and she still had a guilty look on her face. Her soft, blue eyes did make me feel awful for reacting so badly. "It's perfectly legal for a consenting Pokémon and adult to have sex. In fact, it's promoted to build a healthy bond in some progressive circles. It only steps over the line if the trainer forces their partner to do anything they're not comfortable with."

My weak argument was entirely shut down. These people had clearly done a lot of research into matters of poképhilia. If a Pokémon truly desired a physical relationship with their trainer, was there really much of a problem? I had been preaching to others that Pokémon should be treated as individuals with their own thoughts and feelings rather than just tools. But, here I was, throwing a tantrum just because the idea of interspecies sex was new to me. The media had shaped me to see people who were intimate with their Pokémon as abusers, who were just using their place of power to gain pleasure. But, that wasn't entirely true now.

" _Trust me, Alex. We all think alike here. I apologise for such a sudden intrusion, but I've looked a little into your background and past memories. You are not so different from us."_

After speaking, the Gallade relaxed his combative stance and returned to his trainer's side. They were standing so close to each other. To my surprise, he offered a stiff hand for her to grasp onto. She instantly took up the loving offer, and squeezed the psychic type's fingers in comforted reassurance. They really looked like a couple, despite their physical differences.

"Forgive me if I'm putting it into layman's terms here, but if both parties feel good and nobody is getting hurt… then it can't really be stopped," Brandon affirmed slowly, in such a careful, apologetic tone that I couldn't really deny what he was saying. These people didn't seem to be monsters. Despite his intimidating stature, Brandon had a sweet, humble smile and warm, muddy-brown eyes. Even though things were awkward, he was being nice to me.

"Yes, you're right," I admitted, deciding to sit up straight now that I didn't feel like imploding into myself from anger. "Honestly, I'm just a bit shaken. I'm nervous around new people at the best of times, so when I walked in on… _that_ , I didn't know what else to think."

"It is quite a shock when you first see it, but we've all been there," Brandon laughed softly, his spade-like hand still caressing my twitching knee. Despite his nerdy appearance, his huge muscles were nearly bursting out of his tight shirt. I'd be sure to stay on the man's good side. "I'm here to answer any more questions you may have. Don't worry, you won't be judged."

"Do you do it with all the other ranch Pokémon as well?" I asked after a quiet, stressed sigh.

"Our lovely Julian here," he waved over to the stoic, bowing Gallade, "handles any requests made by the ranch Pokémon who want to relieve some stress. We go through a rigorous process to make sure that's really what they want. You probably know how miserable they can get during heat cycles and mating seasons. Sometimes, there's no suitable partners for them in the ranch, whereas some just prefer to be with a more experienced, gentle human."

"Does Thomas do it?"

"Not so much anymore," he replied, after a solemn smile. "Just with his main team members, since he works far too much to goof off with the ranch residents like we all do. It's a shame."

Before I could ask my final, burning question about how sex with a Pokémon felt, a creaky door to one of the hidden side-rooms opened suddenly. A woman confidently stepped out from the darkness with a lazy, pleased grin on her face. A Grovyle followed out behind her, and a powerful wave of déjà vu washed over me. Not only were they breathing heavily, but the new girl was only wearing a skimpy bra and floral, purple panties. As my gaze focused on her bare, supple stomach, I whispered another apology and was tempted to cover my eyes. She took one look over at us, and casually nodded. Beads of sweat rolled down her pale skin.

"Hey, I could hear you all shouting over each other, so I just… uh, waited for a while in here. Hope you didn't need me for anything," she said between laboured breaths. I was struck by her alluring appearance. She had a pixie-cut that was dyed a baby pink, and her body was covered in an assortment of tattoos. Hearts, stars, and tons of other shapes were dotted around her form like she had just rolled around in a stamp factory. She was sucking on a lollipop hanging from the corner of her mouth. "Name's Hannah. Pleasure to meet you, new guy."

The other two workers acted like this happened all the time, and I could do nothing but shamefully stare at the girl as she sauntered into the kitchen, her hips shaking all the way. The Grovyle she had obviously been in bed with chose to hang behind her, enjoying the view of her rear as much as I was. Just because I was shy didn't mean that I couldn't appreciate a beautiful body when I saw one. With the shock gone, I wished that I had taken a mental note of Katie too. It was still surreal to see so many naked people just… out in the open like this.

" _Now, that's what I like to hear. Just up the ante a few notches and you'll fit right in here."_

I had completely forgotten that Julian was still poking around in my head. With a blush, I stopped ogling the punkish girl's ass and stared down at my own shoes in embarrassment. The psychic type's ethereal voice had shifted from restrained into something much snarkier, which was frighteningly human. He seemed to be a bonafide member of the workgroup rather than just the subservient pet of a trainer. I had once researched the individuality of psychic types, and this encounter seemed to prove the theory that they were on par with humans.

"We're not going to pressure you into doing anything, but we'd be happy to have you work with us either way," Katie said, giving me a cute, considerate smile. "You're just gonna have to get used to things being a little crazy around here. As you saw, sex is an everyday thing. "

"I'll need some time to think about it," I replied, glad that the tension in the air had mostly disappeared. This still felt like a dream. My secluded worldview had been shattered into pieces in just a few, measly minutes. The scent of sex was still lingering on the couch, and it made me wonder how much Febreze they went through to keep the lodge smelling alright.

" _About a bottle every week. The bedrooms are the worst for it. Maybe you'll learn to like it."_

My silent musings were immediately answered by his deep, sultry voice. The eerie sensation of his echoing tones were starting to make me feel dizzy. Telepathy was actually quite scary. Was he just hanging around inside everyone's mind all the time? Reading each new thought?

" _No, yours is just particularly interesting to me. I think I'll stick around in here for a while."_

The Gallade's foreboding comments soon faded into the deep recesses of my mind, as the rest of our conversation shifted into the roles that everyone played at the ranch. I had previously known that Hannah was responsible for keeping track of all the eggs and ensuring that things went smoothly with their incubation, due to Thomas' off-hand comment at the painted shed. The girl seemed way too laid-back and rebellious to be in charge of something so important, but maybe she was a different person when working. For the other two, Brandon told me that he was the "left-side of the brain" when it came to work at the ranch. The muscled behemoth would handle a lot of the logistics and physical labour, surveying the land for any faults and then fixing them. Apparently, he had a knack for carpentry. Meanwhile, Katie was the "right-side of the brain", tending to the Pokémon themselves to keep them all happy and energised. She shared that it mostly involved feeding and playtime, which made me feel kind of jealous.

I was surprised that there weren't any more employees. The ranch was massive, and a meagre three workers shouldn't have been enough to keep the place running, even if Thomas helped. Julian seemed to serve as an extra pair of hands, almost like a butler. It was helpful that he could communicate effortlessly with the other ranch residents too. It was astounding that a Pokémon was given such a place of prestige, but psychic types were so intelligent that they could often do their job better than most humans could. I vowed not to think about the stoic Gallade for much longer, since he was privy to all of my thoughts. Fascinating, but annoying.

Before things could get any more awkward between us all, Thomas came back to rescue me. After muttering a thankful goodbye to the workers, I stepped back out to meet the ranch's fresh air which cleared the scent of sweat and love from my nostrils. The tycoon grinned and patted me on the back, and I couldn't help but look at him in a different light now, knowing what he would be doing in the privacy of his bedroom tonight. My perception of most people would probably be warped from now on. The question of "are you a poképhile?" would be stuck forever in the back of my mind. I needed to know how common it was. He seemed to sense this suspicion and let out his signature, smarmy laugh, like nothing had ever changed.

"So… I take it my plan worked then?" he snickered, unable to meet my gaze. He took out his fancy handkerchief and wiped down the banister of the lodge's stairs with a nonchalant flair. "Alex, to be entirely honest, I just didn't want the responsibility of revealing the benefits of our wonderful ranch to you. I hope that Brandon managed to answer all of your questions."

I blinked in confusion. This coy motherfucker had actually premeditated this whole thing. Thomas had probably told the other employees that I wouldn't be arriving until later on, just to increase the chances that one of them would be bedding a Pokémon out in the open lounge. For being an intelligent businessman, that was quite the unnecessary risk. What if I had gone absolutely crazy and stormed out of the ranch, running into the streets and telling all of Lilycove that there was a ranch where they fucked their livestock? They'd lose everything!

"Well, I understand where you guys are coming from, at least…" I admitted, kicking up clods of dirt from the pathway with my shoes as we walked back to the entrance. My body was still brimming with nervous energy. "If everyone here values Pokémon in the same way that I do, then it's really none of my concern who you have sex with. Just as long as nobody gets hurt."

"Good!" he exclaimed, slapping me on the shoulder with a little more force than I would have liked. I wondered if he was as handsy with all of his other clients. "Alex, you're hired!"

… Wait – what?

That was the conclusion to his final test? Thomas just wanted to see how well I'd handle the fact that his breeding ranch was filled to the brim with poképhilia. Somehow, I wasn't convinced that he didn't need to hire any more people, but rather he had tried many times and most people wanted nothing to do with his business ever again. Even though this ranch was telling me otherwise, poképhilia still had to be a rare condition among the general populace. Nobody would ever want to work here unless they were totally fine with a taboo, ethically dubious fetish. What did that mean for me? Could I actually handle seeing sex everywhere?

"Thomas, you haven't even told me what my job will involve yet!" I cried, staring at the grinning businessman in stark disbelief. Job interviews weren't supposed to go like this. Granted, I had never actually been to one, but even I knew that they didn't involve watching your well-endowed co-worker get her rocks off with a Pokémon and then you're just hired. "Honestly, I don't have much experience in practical areas, so I'm not sure about all of this."

"Well, your top mark in Pokémon psychology is what I'm interested in the most. I was shocked to hear that you've never been in direct contact with Pokémon, but you must have a knack for knowing what makes them tick. Nobody else here has had formal training either. Katie is the best at interacting with the residents, and all she does is keep them placated until feeding time rolls around," he explained, putting a stop to his saunter and turning to face me. His face had grown serious. This was the first time I had seen a professional look from him. "If this business is going to go anywhere, then we need to not only cater to our clients, but cater to the Pokémon here. I can handle the former… but the latter? That'll be your job."

"But, how am I going to accomplish that? I might be suited for psychology, but it's not exactly like I can tell what each Pokémon is thinking. Wouldn't Julian be better for that?"

"Listen, I'll explain more about it tomorrow. It's pretty obvious that today has been quite rough for you, Alex," he noted, his expression softening to be a little more sympathetic. I wasn't going to disagree with him. I was completely exhausted, as traversing the ranch had involved the most exercise I had done in years. Not to mention the mental fatigue I had endured with the whole stumbling-across-workplace-intercourse thing. "Just know that I haven't hired you based on some weird business hunch. It's rare to find someone who thinks like we do, which is partly the reason why there's not many people employed at this place."

His reassuring words made me remember what Julian had said – or telepathically projected – to me. They were along the same lines. We're not so different. What the hell did that mean? I knew that we all viewed Pokémon as individuals who were much more important than mere tools or pets, but there had to be something more to it. Surely, it couldn't be that difficult to find people of the same mindset. All they would have to do was hide the poképhilia thing if they just wanted more workers. Instead, it seemed like Thomas had some kind of grand plan.

Eventually, we had reached the entrance building of the ranch again. The reality that I had managed to secure a job at this insane place hadn't exactly dawned on me yet, but when Thomas placed a shimmering, silver key into my hands, it snapped me out of a rattled daze. This perplexing man was trusting me already to have full access to the reception facilities. After passing through the flowery, wooden archway, I didn't know whether to be humbled or concerned about his generosity. With the way things were going, I felt almost too fortunate. Did I get a wish granted by the holy Jirachi on the way over here without even knowing it?

"You better get some rest tonight, Alex," he recommended, diving into the battered swivel chair behind the reception desk. Displaying a rare sense of playfulness, he spiralled around in the worn seat before placing his hands on the computer's keyboard. He really enjoyed it here. "If you thought today was a whirlwind, then just wait for what's in store for your future. There's never a dull moment at this place, which you can take as a benefit or a weakness."

"My life has been pretty quiet recently, so I'd welcome the excitement," I admitted, finally realising that I could spend my time here. Something about the environment was magical. This sincere, blessed feeling almost brought me to tears. Despite the few hang-ups, the thing I had wanted for so many years was actually happening. "So… thank you. For everything."

"Don't mention it, kid," he grinned, not lifting his attention from the glowing monitor. His fingers typed away with an astounding speed as he searched through some kind of database. Even though I was curious, I didn't want to pry into his private business. I was still new here. "Now, it's time to run along. I've got an appointment with a client about his spoiled Snivy in about fifteen minutes. Feel free to come back at the same time tomorrow and let yourself in."

* * *

Later in the night, I had sufficiently unwound from the unbelievable blur that was… today. Quite unsurprisingly in my case, I fought off a panic attack by trying to celebrate with my brother over my acquired job, and even partook in some drinking. Alcohol often caused me to act pretty dangerously, but I really just needed something to take the edge off of my anxiety. The feelings were bittersweet. I was excited about my new future, but also totally worried. My brother worked long hours in the department store at Lilycove's heart, so he would often drown his sorrows until he had to sober for work. We didn't get along so well nowadays, but he still made an alright drinking partner all things considered. He didn't seem very interested in what I had to say about the breeding ranch, but he told me that it was good I had finally found something that resonated with me. Wise words from a man who was obviously blasted and nearly on the floor by that point. Lawrence had a tendency to overdo the simplest things.

I even had an awkward, curt phone conversation with my mother. The lovely woman worked overseas, and was rarely back at home save for holidays and birthdays. Even as I poured my heart out to the one who had birthed me, I could still hear the chitchat of her co-workers in the background, punctuated by roaring laughter. Man, that tech company sure had some fun. Still, she seemed to be glad that I had actually accomplished something. Of course, I left out the unsavoury details in my explanation, but she got the main picture of where I was working. My desire to work with Pokémon was still a tense subject, but she didn't have a say anymore. She forfeited all responsibility when she suddenly made Lawrence the head of the household.

Now, I was just sitting silently in my bedroom, pondering the events at the ranch and my weird family situation. My kingdom of solitude and rest was adorned with various posters, figurines and gadgets. It surely would have triggered a claustrophobic person if they were ever forced to be in here, but all of the activity put me at ease. It wasn't messy, just cluttered. Books and manga littered the shelves and laminated flooring, but nowhere was as eclectic as my computer desk. Trinkets, discarded bottles and a naughty mousepad made sure that every section of free space was covered. I lounged in my worn, red gaming chair, drunk and bored.

I was left with nothing else to do but browse the internet. I recalled that Thomas had told me to get some rest, but I hadn't even started to satisfy my itch for mindlessly searching through websites and videos that didn't matter. While watching footage of a cute Purrloin balancing a jelly-filled donut on its head, an odd idea sliced through my brain like a twirling arrowhead.

Galvanised by an alcohol-soaked mind, I opened up a new tab and watched in muted horror as I typed in the taboo phrase of 'poképhilia'. For now, I had convinced myself that I was just going to do some research on the true laws and maybe look through some buried forum posts about the subject. There was no harm about reading other people's experiences with it, right? Even if I never wound up touching the nether regions of a Pokémon, I would still need to be familiar with the subject to connect with Brandon, Katie and Hannah. But with every new article that I read about techniques and mating behaviours, my jeans would get a little tighter.

Alex, you can't be serious! You made such an effort to be all offended about what they were doing, but now you were honestly considering it? In my inebriated state, I couldn't give a single fuck about how wrong it potentially felt. I had never admitted it, but deep down, there was some inclination inside of me. My desire for Pokémon. Not all of it was wholesome. When I had watched Katie and Julian have sex for that split second, there was another feeling that wasn't just surprise. There had been some sick thrill, or adrenaline, or whatever it was. Even now, the idea was making me twitch with excitement. Pokémon were attractive to me.

There would be no harm in just watching a couple videos to confirm my amorous feelings. Experimenting was normal for everyone. In fact, I was quite familiar with the whole concept. I felt like a horny teenager again, doing something that he shouldn't be once everyone else had fallen asleep. I had gone through that phase like everyone else had, but it was watching girls and guys fuck each other rather than what I was considering right now. There had to be a huge treasure trove of people bedding their Pokémon, just waiting to be unearthed by me.

Right. Fuck it. I threw caution to the wind along with my jeans and boxers. I frantically clicked around shady advertisements and black-coated websites until I found the first video. Man or woman – it didn't exactly matter to me. I had known and accepted since puberty that I didn't really prefer either one. Sexuality was an area of psychology I had studied a lot too. Personally, dicks and pussies were equally hot as hell. Not much more complicated than that.

For the first couple of seconds, there was nothing but the website's slick introduction, with the orange, morphing logo accentuated by a chilled drumbeat. The suspense affected me way more than just watching a porn video should. I tried to swallow down the lump in my throat as I shot a glance at my closed door. Lawrence was comatose, so it should be safe to relax. When I looked back at the screen, the scene had suddenly surged to life, with a busty woman lying spread out on a velvet bed. No foreplay or poorly acted scene about an unrealistically endowed pizza delivery boy… she was just butt-naked. Not that I was one to complain at all. Her manicured fingers were already exploring her slit, and so I reached over to squirt some trusty lotion across the palm of my hand. Might as well go all out for a big moment like this.

It wasn't long before a stocky, steaming Growlithe pawed its way across the bed to inspect the masturbating woman. His wet nose twitched as he caught the scent of her sweaty juices. Just the sight of the handsome fire type fastened my uneasy heartbeat. My chest constricted. He looked exactly like the one I had watched a few hours earlier at the ranch, which brought forth feelings of nostalgia. That was back when I had blissfully ignored these perverse urges. My eyes were instantly drawn to his fluffy underbelly, where they subtly travelled down until landing on his veiny, crimson cock. I had no idea that canine erections looked so… beastly. The lewd sight burned its way into my mind as I started to tug on my own hardened member. The Growlithe's tongue dangled lazily from his muzzle as he puffed impatiently at the girl, flecking slobber across her bare knees. She caressed the hound's chest as he tried to push his head between her thighs. With the other hand, she laced her sleek, black hair into a ponytail.

Quickly tamed, the Growlithe obediently rolled over and presented his throbbing dick to the pleased, eager woman. It was like he was performing a trick in exchange for a desired treat. How many times had they been through this scene? The lucky dog's reward came swiftly, as his stiff meat disappeared inside her wanting mouth. She dutifully sank her lips down until she reached the bulbous base. The fire type's haunches twitched as she teased at his flesh, enjoyment clear from the feverish wagging of his beige tail. Already, I was pumping away at my dick in time with the woman's rhythmic bobbing. The sensation of my lubricated hand gliding effortlessly against my sensitive head sent shocks of sick satisfaction up my spine.

Instead of focusing on what the girl should have been doing to my manhood like how I watched every other porn video, I was drawn to the spectacle of her fellating a Growlithe. The fact that she was servicing a Pokémon aroused me to an insane degree, like I had been missing out on something vital for eighteen years. How was I just discovering all this stuff? My pleasure outweighed the guilt and shame now. My gaze was entirely fixated on the taboo material invading my bedroom. All I cared about now was climaxing to this wonderful sight.

Once the woman had worked up to a masterful pace, I heard a muffled pop as she suddenly brought her pillowy lips away from the dog's red rocket. A milky strand of saliva connected the two lovers as she drooled across his flared opening. I could barely register the words from my muted speakers as she called the Growlithe a "good boy". For some reason, that caused a surging throb to strike through my cock as my hips bucked forward. I tried to stifle a groan.

She slowly turned around on all-fours as the Growlithe rolled upright, exposing her tanned rear to the still camera. Her perfect, tight asshole puckered in anticipation as a single, sticky strand of fluid trickled down from her honeypot. The fire type leapt at the chance to finally taste his mate, and began to drag his wide tongue across her pussy. Her hairless mound parted as he tried to greedily shove his entire snout inside her opening. Once his rough nose and lips pressed against her clit, she couldn't help but arc her back and push into his powerful maw.

"Please, I want your cock inside me, boy!" she moaned, trying to push the canine's warmed muzzle further into her vagina. The mutt's face was now matted with her flowing juices, and the velvety bedsheets had been ruined by their messy tryst. "That's it – you can mount me!"

Following his master's command like a loyal companion, the Growlithe raised his two front legs onto her lower back. His ivory-white nails carved red scratches into the soft skin as he steadied himself against her ass. He lurched forwards without warning, prodding clumsily at the girl's muscled cheeks. His dripping cock brushed harshly against her back passage before she lovingly guided it down to her pussy in one hasty moment. The woman's face twisted in unadulterated pleasure when the hound finally found his target. He performed a slew of rapid thrusts, drilling further into her invaded entrance with each movement. He wasted no time in ravishing her, and was soon balls-deep inside his dear trainer. The filming angle gave a clear view of the canine's striped tailhole, along with his furry, loaded coinpurse. It looked divine.

Her body quivered in time with his frantic movements. Her cleavage, which looked to be entirely natural despite its voluptuous size, swayed forwards and backwards with each thrust. This was accompanied by the faint smacking sound that I had listened to earlier in the lodge, as the Growlithe's small body pounded into her with the most force he could muster. His sleek coat cushioned the moist sounds of his brutish rod pushing apart the girl's inner folds. He was panting haphazardly, jowls hiked upwards in a dumb smile. He seemed to enjoy being able to dominate his master from behind. I watched curiously as soft, grey plumes of smoke emanated from his trembling nostrils. The fire type was glowing with fervent health.

"Yes – harder! That's it!" she squealed, clutching onto the bedsheets with clenched fists, as the dog's cock somehow found its way deeper inside of her. The end of his swelled knot had now pressed up against her pink labia, and was threatening to enter with each violent thrust. She was writhing under him, too engulfed in the masochistic pleasure to keep her body still. The Growlithe buckled down and went faster, his lazy expression sharpening into tenacity.

Both the lucky hound and I seemed to be reaching the limits of our stamina. My wrist was starting to ache with how rough I was tugging, but there was no chance of stopping it now. His thrusts started to diminish in speed, but each one was more powerful. The woman's head whipped backwards as she stroked at her clit, her body now driven harshly into the mattress. As I attempted to bask in the urgent feeling of my climax, I noticed that the fleshy mass at the base of his penis had expanded to the size of a golf ball. With a final push, her stretched lips engulfed the knot as the Growlithe shuddered. Every muscle in the dog's body contracted as he finally unleashed his warm seed. The angle shifted to a closer view of his pumping dick.

"Your knot feels so fuckin' good!" she howled in time with the fire type. Her mouth was locked in a lusty 'o'-shape as she had no choice but to accept the entire load of his thick cum. The Growlithe whined as he snorted out a series of smoky flames, which very easily could have sparked the entire room into a roaring blaze. His locked stance was proud and primal.

And then, my body jerked forwards. Uncontrollably, the tip of my cock erupted and painted my belly with white, gooey ropes of semen. I resorted to biting down on my bottom lip to prevent me from groaning out in ecstasy. A sour, metallic taste spurted across my tongue as my teeth sank into the soft, sensitive flesh, but the pain only added to the rapturous climax. So entranced by the scene in front of me, I kept pleasuring myself long after the messy, overdue release had finished. There was cum everywhere. Easily the most I had ever shot. My upper chest was speckled in the milky pools, and my right hand was entirely coated.

As I sat there, watching the woman patiently endure the knot of the Growlithe, the afterglow was not what I had expected it to be. There was a resonant pang of guilt and remorse as my penis finally softened amidst my grasp. Before the scene faded out into credits, what I was looking at suddenly became quite reprehensible again. The old, rational Alex started to come back now that I had ejaculated. Did everyone feel this way after doing such a shameful deed? Conflicted, I stared at the other recommended videos. A young Shinx tied up with tight ropes. An orgy of nothing but male Quilava. A hot guy getting constricted by a huge Sandaconda.

No… I couldn't keep doing this. Trying to ignore how deeply I was wheezing, I closed down the website and turned off my monitor with a grimace. What I previously would have classed as disgusting only a few hours ago was now sickeningly fascinating to me. And I hated that. After cleaning up the virile mess I had made with a stack of baby wipes, I wondered if I just corrupted myself forever. I would be working at a breeding ranch where these exact scenarios happened every hour of every day. All of these kinky opportunities that some deviants would commit crimes just to achieve would be handed to me on a silver platter. That was bad, right?

The silly fatigue from such an escapade suddenly crashed into me like Johto's Magnet Train. Still technically drunk, I wasn't in the right state of mind to entertain the philosophical repercussions of what I had just done. This would have to stay secret for now. Maybe I would feel better about myself after having some time to rest and organise all of these mental issues. Sleep was the brain's way of making sense of the world, so it was a solution that I trusted.

Still completely naked, I stumbled over to switch off my bedroom's lights. Ah… darkness. As my head collided with a crumpled pillow, I could feel a strange noise emanate through my skull like I had just broken something important. The soft, indescribable buzz ominously hung in the air. It reminded me of the static that you would hear on the other end of a phone. There was an intruder inside my head. Intense fear washed over me as I realised what the fuck that sound must have been. My eyes shot open again in horrific anticipation of his voice.

" _Like I said before, we're not so different."_


	3. Better Late Than Never

The next morning, I spent far longer than I should have just tangled into my messy bedsheets. Usually, I'd be diving into the shower to scrub away at the layers of self-loathing, but today, I was mindlessly staring up at my ceiling. Julian had definitely seen what I done last night with his fantastical mind-fuckery, and the power that he held over me was no less than mortifying. Despite the fact that we were separated by layers of concrete and forests, he somehow knew that I had polished my pole to some Pokémon porno. Even with my vague knowledge of what the Gallade was like, I knew that he would have already told Katie, if not the whole ranch. I wasn't particularly scared of what they'd do about it, but it did make me look like a gigantic jackass, since I had instantly gone against what I had berated them all for yesterday morning.

Even amidst my shame, I couldn't escape that strange feeling from last night. It was as if I had gone through some arduous, life-altering journey in the space of five, sweaty minutes. Honestly, I was concerned about how much I had enjoyed it, and even more rattled that the Gallade's telepathic messages had proven accurate so rapidly. I wasn't about to suddenly label myself a poképhile and start a political campaign just yet, but I would be lying to say that I wasn't interested in such a world. We weren't so different. That concept kept bouncing around my head as I eventually melted out of bed and floated down to the emptied bathroom. What would the conversation with the others be like? Would I arrive to the decadent lodge with a virgin Pokémon laid out across the dining table to congratulate me on my revelation?

My unclothed body came to a halt in the hallway. The thought vivified my morning wood as I resisted the urge to hide away and jerk off to more videos until everything had turned numb. What the fuck was wrong with me? I wondered about how long I had been carrying these repressed urges, and had chosen to ignore them. Sure, Julian was able to assimilate into my bloody consciousness like an alien, or whatever the fuck he did, but how did Thomas know that I had the potential to be a poképhile? By this point, I was aware that he didn't just mean that we thought alike in wholesome, humanitarian terms. The businessman had been actively hinting towards my proclivity for Pokémon. Maybe spending all of his time around breeding communities had taught him to be exceptional at reading the subtle cues of implicit attraction.

After a steamy shower that I spent way too long just standing in, my addled body and spirit didn't feel completely refreshed. Too preoccupied with my conflicting thoughts, I dripped around the house without a towel. Lawrence was already slaving away at work, so I could be as lazy and free as I wanted for a while. Just had to avoid the windows, or else the neighbours would be getting quite the eyeful. I wandered around, cock out, pondering about everything. People used to tell me that I would overthink every little thing, but in this sensitive case, it seemed to be quite justified. The hesitance to appear in front of my new co-workers kept me naked for most of the morning, until the time to arrive at the ranch became too unavoidable. Instead of focusing on trying to look presentable for anyone, I picked an outfit that would be comfortable to wear for long hours at the ranch. I still didn't have a clue of what Thomas expected me to do there, but I wasn't going to wear jeans if I was chasing Pokémon around. After lazily taming the tangle of split ends that I called a hairstyle, I shoved away all of the confusing feelings about arousal away in favour of running my life on some kind of autopilot.

Before I even knew it, I had finished the arduous journey across Route 121, and was standing outside the entrance building. My weak, bony fingers clutched at the doorhandle, as I failed to summon the courage necessary to proceed any further. Thomas was probably sitting at the front desk, typing away at the ranch's complex database. My heart started to beat way faster. Would he greet me with a shit-eating grin and some quip like "I told you so"? I wasn't too keen on explaining the intricacies of masturbation to my boss, and if he gave me a signature slap on the back, it very well might kill me. Instead, once I had managed to peer through a gap in the plywood, the reception was darkened and empty. Time to sneak past undetected.

After fumbling with the new keys for a while, I managed to conquer the first of many hurdles that I would undoubtedly face today. The lack of activity actually managed to make this room look even more depressing. Making my way across to the secured threshold, I couldn't help but find it very strange that nobody was here. Shouldn't they have some kind of paid secretary that would always stay back here? What if a potential customer randomly came by? Everything about the ranch's management didn't make any sense. Eventually, I swallowed down the panic at being left to my own devices, and emerged out into the sea of rolling hills. If Thomas was nowhere to be found, then maybe I should keep an eye out for the other three.

Despite being shown an extensive tour, the ranch's landscape was still vast and confusing. It would probably take a few weeks for me to properly remember the layout of this paradise. The lodge was nestled up in the north, right? Next to the lake. As I passed by a Skitty who was sunbathing across a wide, flattened stone, I realised that I was privy to the ranch's secret. The chances of me stumbling upon some Pokémon who were mating for nothing more than pleasure had to be extremely high. Arceus, I had to stop my awakened mind from wandering into all sorts of lewd territories. I was going to be working here! I couldn't do my job with a hard-on all of the time! Searching for any kind of distraction, I spied the incubation shed not too far in the distance. Hannah was the one who looked after the eggs. She had certainly left a unique first impression on me. She seemed to be absent-minded, and definitely didn't care about what others thought of her. Maybe she wouldn't judge me for what I done last night. Also, I couldn't hide my excitement at getting to see the futuristic row of eggs another time.

Sure enough, the rustic door of the shed was swinging completely ajar. As I nervously crept closer, I started to hear a soft melody, like a lullaby that a mother would hum to an infant. The gentle, feminine sound nearly made my heart stop beating. Nothing to be scared of, Alex. Just walk up and introduce yourself to her. It doesn't matter that she's obviously your type! You've grown out of the awkward teenager phase by now. Even more pressingly, getting to know your co-workers sooner rather than later would be a benefit. Move your damn legs!

While standing apprehensively in the spacious doorframe, the first thing I noticed was that one of the egg capsules had been opened, and the contents were missing. In fact, it was the egg that Thomas had quizzed me on before. The one furthest to the right housing the Swablu. My gaze soon travelled to Hannah's back. She was kneeling down on the cluttered floor, lying in front of all the intricate machines. One of the straps on her lavender tank top was hanging loosely away from her shoulder. I figured that she spent most of her time here, so she didn't need to wear the heavy dungarees like Brandon. I walked softly into the dark building, not wanting to disturb or scare her. Her body was totally motionless. Her humming stopped.

"Is everything alright, Hannah?" I asked quietly. The mood in here was increasingly stifling.

"Oh, it's just you. Let's see… new guy, with the… uh, rockstar hairstyle. Alex, wasn't it?" she whispered, head held low. Her posture was slouched, and sitting on the wooden floor of a barn couldn't have been comfortable. Slowly, she craned her slender neck to look at me over her tattooed shoulder. Dark circles accentuated her lovely, blue eyes. She gave me a yawn. "It's nice to know that you haven't been scared away yet. Anyway, yeah – everything's fine. In fact, if you wanna see something awesome, feel free to come over here and check me out."

I had to stop myself from gulping audibly like a sitcom character. Was she even aware just how risqué that sounded? It could have been her tiredness and lack of any modesty, but maybe my horniness was twisting everything that I heard into some kind of cruel innuendo. Although, now that I had been given permission, I crept forwards into the shadowed barn to see exactly what she had been doing. Dashing my carnal desires somewhat, I found the girl cradling a huge, sky-blue egg that had been swaddled in a fuzzy blanket. Her refusal to move an inch off of the floor started to make more sense. Her perfect lips were curved upwards in a proud, protective smile as she watched the Swablu egg carefully. I had to tear my eyes away from her tempting collarbones to focus on the valued fruit of this whole ranching operation. Thick, black fissures had split their way across the egg's glossy surface like a lightning strike.

"Noticed them this morning," she explained, watching the twitching ovoid with diligence. "This little one's hatching way earlier than I expected, or else I would've moved the egg outside to the mother already. So, I'm stuck here until the wonderful bundle of joy appears."

"Would you mind if I joined you?" I asked, too enthralled by the miracle of life to be worried about what the alternative girl would think of me. The first moment that I had learned about the concept of Pokémon eggs, I had wondered what it would look like when they hatched. Hannah seemed to have lots of practice as an egg specialist. "Just to watch the egg for a bit."

"Not at all," she cooed, mostly talking to the nascent Swablu rather than turning to face me. "Make sure to keep your voice down. Hatchlings frighten easy, even before they're born."

My first impressions of Hannah had been totally wrong. She clutched at the egg with such an admirable tenderness, despite looking as if she was about ready to collapse from exhaustion. Her voice was warm and angelic, even though I could still sense some sarcasm hidden away. She was a much different person than the half-naked renegade sucking on a lollipop that I had only caught a glimpse of yesterday. Her posture had straightened now, despite being resigned to the rigid floor, and her tired gaze hadn't wavered from the fragile life tucked in her arms. She cared about these eggs. It wasn't just about the business suffering if anything happened to the infant Pokémon. This went beyond simple job security. She was treating it like some kind of grand, personal duty to ensure that there were no complications. I was… stunned.

"How long have you been sitting like this?" I couldn't help but wonder. I knew that for some large species, emerging from their eggs was a painstakingly slow process. Sure, a Pokémon could handle countless hours of coaxing a hatchling, but humans were comparatively weak.

"Well, I check on the eggs every couple of hours, and this beauty turned out to be an early-morning hatcher, so… since about five o'clock. I'm just glad that I managed to catch these cracks on the egg in time. No Pokémon should have to deal with entering the world alone."

I could barely believe my ears. She had been like this, alone, for over four hours? Either she had the patience of a saint, or she was superhuman. There was no way that I could stay on the floor like that, doing nothing but watching an egg, even if I was interested in the whole thing. She must really love this place. Despite the signs of fatigue written all over her face, she had been openly displaying a smile since I had walked in. She had been awake before the sun had started to rise, meaning that her personality could outshine nature itself. This girl was special.

"Checking every couple of hours sounds like a lot of work," I whispered, causing her to nod briefly. She tried to hide a cute, knowing smirk behind the blanket. "Even during the night? There's no way I could do a job like that. You must live pretty close to the ranch then, right?"

"Trust me, once you get into a routine, it's not all that bad," she yawned, swiftly betraying her attempt at reassurance. Her shoulders swayed as she shakily cracked her back, battling to maintain a healthy posture. Staying hunched over an egg for hours had to hurt quite a lot. "Actually, it's only possible because I live on-site. At the lodge. I've known Tom since before the ranch was even getting put together, so… uh, he let me stay here for free once…"

It could have just been my imagination, but it looked as if her eyes had suddenly glazed over, like she was lost in a flurry of thoughts. Her attention was still vaguely pointed towards the egg, but her exhausted mind had went somewhere else. There was a hint of complex, personal emotion which could only be known by her, and was indicated by the brief loss of her smile. She must have been Thomas' first employee, and she referred to him with a nickname, so the two obviously had a past together. However, I wasn't in any position to explore further. Yet.

Before she could recover, a splitting _**crack**_ broke the uncomfortable silence and startled both of us. Hannah jumped at the sudden movement between her arms, and I stepped backwards. She had been careful to hold the egg steady, but even she was unsettled by all of the noise. From how she was sitting, and how the blanket had been draped across the flaking surface, she couldn't see what had just happened. But… from my position. I knew instantly what was going on. Towering over the scene, I frantically stared at the pieces of blue eggshell which had been scattered by Hannah's shoes. Was this actually happening? With me as a witness?

There was a large, shiny beak poking through a hole in the egg. The white presence jiggled around as it tried to carve its way to freedom. I was too amazed to say anything to Hannah. Before I could even blink, a significant section of the egg parted and clattered to the wayside. Suddenly, I was greeted by a pair of innocent, beady eyes. The blue shape in front of me shuddered as its cloud-like wings splayed the remaining egg to the sides of its fuzzy blanket. Faint, wanting chirrups sang to me as the Swablu squirmed in Hannah's disbelieving arms.

"Oh… that's not usually supposed to happen," Hannah mused. She didn't sound too annoyed or concerned, but rather thoroughly confused. The Swablu's attention was still pinned to me. "I could've sworn that I was holding the egg so that it would come out looking right at me."

Eggs weren't my area of expertise, but even I knew that whatever a new-born Pokémon first looked at, they would have an inherent bond with it. In fact, it extended to inanimate objects, and I was reminded of a famous case where a Ducklett had bonded with a pair of old boots. The theory was called imprinting, and it was largely the reason behind the customs of having an egg hatch in the trainer's hand to kickstart their lifelong relationship. Hannah looked after the infant Pokémon, so she would usually be the target of imprinting. Instead, because of my intense curiosity, this Swablu was enamoured with me. I had done enough research to know that imprinting was generally temporary, so it wasn't as if the cloudy bird believed that I was its mother forever, or anything like that. Hatchlings were evidently more intelligent than that. Either way, I had managed to fuck up the ranch's breeding process on my first working day.

"Don't worry about all of this, Alex!" she said with confidence, focusing her attention on me for the first time since I had entered the sweltering shed. I was struck by her blue eyes again. She pressed the struggling Swablu into her modest chest and stumbled clumsily to her feet. Carrying the ornery infant over to a wicker basket that was adorned with all sorts of cushions and baby toys, she began to hum again to stop the needy squawking. "They'll bond with just about anyone when they're new to the world. But… uh, I've got quite a lot of work on my hands with this new arrival. Let me get the tyke settled, and maybe you can come see later."

Even though I was fixated on the newly-hatched Swablu in front of me, who had just tried to viciously peck at Hannah for blocking its view, I knew that it wasn't my place to meddle in such an important, delicate process. Deciding to quietly take my leave as to not disturb the cloudy bird that was throwing a tantrum, I gave an awkward wave to my busy colleague. Hannah looked me over with subtle interest, and then thanked me for keeping her company. As my heart performed a series of frightening somersaults, I high-tailed it out of the shed before she noticed my blushing. Had an interaction with a cute girl actually went… okay?

Spiralling into overthinking once again, I realised that Hannah hadn't made a comment about my sexual status or attraction to Pokémon. I could have chalked it up to her odd, accepting personality, but I chose to believe that Julian didn't inform her of my shameful ten minutes. Mostly to preserve my sanity. The Gallade could so easily project his thoughts into the minds of others that gossiping would be a cakewalk. Maybe he knew that Hannah had a lot on her plate with the sudden hatching, and decided not to tell her. That just left Brandon and Katie.

The pathway leading up to the lodge was much less winding and treacherous than at the start of the ranch, but I still meandered around to look at all of the different, frolicking Pokémon. Repeating the mantra that I wasn't trying to catch a glimpse of a mating session, I passed through the dark, forested area to get away from the sun's wrath. Summer here was hellish. An intimidating, motionless Noctowl glared at my presence through a half-opened eye as I nearly tripped over an upturned root and collided with a tree. My younger self had always enjoyed exploring areas like these, but now, fresh air actually served to make my skin crawl. I picked up the pace considerably after that, fearing that the Noctowl would chase me away.

Resigned to my fate, I kicked off my muddy boots. I had only worn them one other time, when we were forced to hike up Mt. Pyre for charity at my high school. Thank Arceus that I had decided to save these things. There was no way I was trekking around the ranch in my sneakers, who's soles were practically hanging off. Thankfully, there wasn't any muffled slapping or gross squelching as I paced in the lodge's hallway. The door was closed, though. Either nobody was feeling horny at nine in the morning, or they had learned their lesson and stopped openly fucking in the living room. Sickly, part of me desired a repeat of yesterday.

Disgusted with myself, I entered only to find a solitary Gallade lounging on that damn couch. I almost turned around and walked right back out the front door. This time, his dear trainer wasn't feverishly riding his lap. Still, he wore a shit-eating grin as if he had just had the best sex of his entire life once he noticed me. Such a human expression on his face was unsettling.

" _We have so much to talk about."_

What followed convinced me that he had orchestrated this very moment just for his own amusement, as Brandon and Katie descended down from Arceus-knows-where like a swarm of predatory Zubat. Amidst the flurry of questions from Katie, some of which included "what video was it? "and "how quickly did you cum?", Julian's hysteric laughter rang through my head. Overwhelmed, I clutched onto the doorframe and tried to steady my breathing. Having a panic attack on my first day of work would be rather appropriate from me, but it wasn't the precedent I wanted to set with these people. Thankfully, Brandon noticed my clear anxiety.

"Alright, alright, quieten down!" the muscled giant boomed, immediately bringing the commotion to an end. The guy seemed kind, but damn, he could be scary when he wanted. Katie's questions ceased, and the Gallade's laughter soon petered out into stifled chuckling. "It looks like he's already having a tough time without you two clowns making it worse. Come on, Alex, you better sit down over here. Do you need anything? I can get you water."

"No, I think I'm alright," I huffed, trying to swallow down the panic as Brandon guided me cautiously over to the other couch. Even though we were basically strangers, he was being so nice to me that it barely mattered. I couldn't blame Katie and Julian for acting like that, but it was still nerve-wracking to have a lot of people hounding me for what was still an insecurity. So, Brandon's compassion was appreciated. "Can we just have, like, a normal conversation?"

Katie flopped across into the red, leather armchair. It looked straight out of some hipster's studio apartment, and certainly didn't belong in such a rustic, woodwork lodge like this one. She cleared her throat awkwardly, the wind having been ripped away from her sails once she processed my severe reaction. Brandon stood with one, mediating arm on my shoulder, and the other placed squarely on his waist. He looked like a mother Pidgeot watching her chicks.

"Sorry, I was just really excited to hear that you've joined the dark side," she apologised in half-sincerity, shooting Julian a glare that was a mix between one you would give a puppy for peeing on the carpet, and a boyfriend for embarrassing you. That was definitely the strangest relationship dynamic that I had ever seen. She looked to be the dominant one in the bedroom. Learning that the masculine Gallade was stuck under his trainer's thumb brought me comfort.

" _Those daggers mean that she wants me to apologise as well. Uh… sorry. Sometimes, I can get a bit carried away playing with emotions. I should've held back since you're new here."_

" _ **Aren't your species supposed to help people with their emotions?"**_ I thought slowly, straining my inner voice to be as clear as possible. I focused over to the Gallade, staring into his eyes, that had entirely filled with blue energy. Hearing everything reverberate around my skull was already giving me a headache, but it was the only way we could ever communicate.

" _That's more of a Gardevoir thing,"_ he replied, with grievous smarm. " _Also, no – she's not."_

"I wouldn't say that I've joined you guys," I admitted, ignoring his last comment. Julian tried to conceal a sly smile, still under the scrutinous gaze of his girlfriend. There wasn't much you could get past a sneaky psychic type who loved to delve inside people's minds. "It was just the result of too much alcohol and morbid curiosity. Honestly, I'm still conflicted about it."

"Well, what did you think of it?" Katie asked, genuine interest replacing the playful, taunting smirk that had been plastered over her face. She leaned forwards perilously on the armchair, and pressed her hands into her knees inquisitively. She didn't look ready to make fun of me. That excitement that she mentioned was clear now, like she wanted a new poképhile friend.

"It was…" I faltered, struggling to put my true feelings into words. The torrent of intense guilt was still drowning out my latent feelings of arousal. I thought back to this morning, at how intensely I wanted to witness more debauchery. Having to properly explain myself to these people was forcing me to confront these demons. My voice fizzled out into a groan.

" _Alex, in all seriousness, everyone here accepts you. I know that Katie, Brandon, Hannah, and even Thomas have all been through the same thing that you're experiencing right now. Trust me, it will be a hundred times easier if you have people to share these feelings with."_

"It was the hottest thing I've ever seen," I blurted out, closing my eyes so I wouldn't have to look at their reactions. My heart was going crazy, and my face was overflowing with heat. Julian's words had spurred me into honesty. As much as I believed that the Gallade was too mischievous for his own good, his abilities gave him an undeniable advantage at persuasion.

To my surprise, there was a collective sigh of relief from the ranch workers. My eyes opened slowly again in disbelief, and I was greeted with Katie's toothy, dimpled smile. Brandon gave me a hearty clasp on the shoulder for encouragement. They looked pleased at what I had said, even though I had expected them to just assault me with questions that were more personal. Maybe they weren't looking to add another piece of flesh to their weird, ragtag group of poképhiles, but were only wanting me to tell the truth. Shyly, I smiled along with them all.

"That's what we wanted to hear," Brandon approved, towering over me while somehow still being the least intimidating presence in the room. Something about the way that his thick-rimmed glasses sat askew on his nose seemed to round out his chiselled, square features. "Julian said that you were interested about what you walked in on yesterday, but what you did last night confirmed it for all of us. It's nothing to be ashamed about. Here, especially."

The realisation that these two were acutely aware of my masturbation session made me want to crumple inwards and bawl on the couch. Both of them basically had front row seats to what was usually the most private thing about my life. Julian's recounting was extensive, no doubt. Even worse, they were both incredibly good-looking now that I had gotten the chance to study their features. Maybe it was the fact that they were all older than me, but they looked like actual… adults. Whereas, I still felt baby-faced and distinctly like I didn't belong here. Whatever the case, Thomas knew how to pick out employees. Hell, even Julian had an impressive stature, even for Gallade standards. Was I actually finding a Pokémon attractive?

" _I'm flattered."_

"It's okay if you still want to think about things a little more," Katie added, smiling sweetly at her gallant boyfriend across the room. Was he projecting my thoughts into their heads too? The idea made me wince. Maybe I should just switch off my brain whenever the psychic type was in the room. These newfound, amorous feelings might land me in hot water pretty fast.

"I can't argue with the evidence," I said, relieved to have figured things out with everyone. When you looked at it bluntly, there wasn't a possibility of denying that I actually had some raging deviant shackled away inside of me. What Julian told me had also been entirely true. Things did feel better when you admitted them. Damn him for being good with mushy stuff.

" _Now all we need to do is get you in on all the fun. How does an interspecies orgy sound?"_

" _ **Baby steps, Julian."**_

" _Are you sure accepting that you're a poképhile before it's even noon is a baby step, Alex?"_

Having to pay attention to two simultaneous conversations was getting on my nerves, so I decided not to humour the Gallade's prodding comments anymore. One was already enough to spark sickly feelings of nervousness, and it was obvious which would be more beneficial. Trying to comfort myself, I laid backwards on the couch and took a deep breath. This place was actually very relaxing, when people weren't balls-deep inside each other on the premises. Ornate windows allowed a lot of natural light to filter through and bring the room to life. Watching the soft, rhythmic swaying of the trees outside helped me to find composure again. Hoenn's northern routes were renowned for their beauty, so I was starting to understand why Thomas constructed a ranch in the middle of this forest hideaway. That reminded me…

"By the way, where's Thomas?" I asked, thankful to escape from all the humiliating talk of beating my meat to low-budget porn videos. The less time spent on that, the better for me. The others would probably judge my hasty selection. "I've walked through most of the ranch, and I can't find him anywhere. I'd like to actually know what I'll be working towards here."

"Oh yeah – he said that he was making an important deal with a business partner in Rustboro, so he'll be back sometime in the afternoon if it goes well," Brandon explained, taking a long sip from his coffee mug. It had a cute Pikachu design that looked quite odd in his big hands. The smell was so strong it wouldn't have surprised me if he drank it black. "We were just about to make our morning rounds, but he said that you could do whatever you wanted until he got back. I'd offer to take you with me, but I doubt you'd wanna see me build a birdbath."

It still seemed like the businessman was giving me too much freedom. While the others were doing the work they were actually being employed for, I was just kind of wandering around, taking in the sights like a tourist. I couldn't blame him for meeting someone related to the ranch business, but why did my job specifically have to wait for him to come back? All I did was sit on the couch, twiddling my thumbs, as Brandon and Katie quickly got ready for work. It was somewhat depressing that they had other obligations, as we were just starting to get to know each other better, but I couldn't really do anything about that. Once again, Brandon sensed that something was troubling me. He snapped his dungarees to end the silence.

"We meet back here for lunch at twelve, so why don't we introduce you to my boys and the rest of Katie's team around then? Julian doesn't give a good impression of our lovely gang."

The Gallade stuck his tongue out at the tanned ranch-worker. I couldn't help but snicker uncontrollably at the slight jab, but even through the laughter, it was obvious that the comment was all in good fun. Brandon didn't seem capable of insulting someone anyway. They didn't see Julian as just another Pokémon, but as a bonafide member of their group. One who they could joke around with, but also share meaningful conversations with when the time came. It was wonderful that he could speak, really. If only every Pokémon could talk.

Also, I was surprised that Brandon noticed my dismay. That was the second time in the span of only a few minutes. He seemed to be very aware of others. He could have just exited with only saying his goodbyes, but he made sure to make me feel included. The man was kind, almost to a fault, and it was something I never seen before. Usually, guys weren't like that.

"C'mon Julian, there's no way that I'm carrying all of the Pokémon food by myself again!" Katie called on her way out of the front door, Brandon following soon behind after giving me a final, reassuring nod. The Gallade tied an invisible noose around his neck and made an impeccably accurate face of someone choking to death. He wasn't entirely free here, then.

Before I knew it, I was left alone in the cavernous room. Predictably, my mind wandered to the wonderful girl with the pink hair and tattoos. Maybe I would kill some time around the ranch, and then go see if she had finished with settling down the business' newest arrival. I wasn't really prepared to stay alone inside this lodge for hours and hours, that was for sure. Actually, it was strange. Usually, I would have preferred something like that. This job seemed to be changing my mindset rather quickly, which I was thankful for. If things kept going the way they were now, I would actually turn into a normal person. Well, normal as this whole thing would allow anyway. All that mattered was that I felt accepted by them.

* * *

When I next saw Hannah, the insane hours she had to endure finally looked as if they were taking their toll. Her ocean-blue eyes looked puffy, almost like she had been crying, and her pixie cut had been ruffled into a mad collection of wispy, pink curls. Even still, she gave me a cordial smile when I crept into the incubation shed. Maybe this wasn't a good idea after all. My childish desire to spend more time with her had overtaken my empathetic self. The last thing she probably wanted was some jackass coming to bother her after an ordeal at work. There were swabs of cotton stuck to her clothes, which upon closer inspection, had to be the shedding from the young Swablu's wings. However, the cloudy chick was evidently not here.

"Girl put up quite the struggle," she sighed, triumphantly presenting her scratched arms to me. Thin, red slices marred her pale skin, and while they didn't look deep, it still had to sting. "She's all calmed down with her mother now though. No doubt used up all of her energy carving these into me. Haven't seen a fighter right out of the egg like her in a long time."

"That's surprising," I noted, watching as she dabbed the cuts on her arms with a moistened washcloth. The sound of water dripping into a basin helped to mask the sound of her sucking air through her teeth, trying to combat the pain. "Swablu are known to be mild and peaceful."

"This one didn't get the memo," she laughed, skilfully wrapping bandages around her slender arms like she had done it thousands of times before. Egg maintenance seemed to be quite the dangerous job, since a lot of hatchlings understandably didn't know their strength. Hopefully, a few cuts and bruises were the most that Hannah had to deal with. "She looked ready to peck my eyes out once you left the shed. Maybe you should go visit them and cheer her up a little. I'm sure Altaria won't mind if you want to come and have a look. Whaddya say, rockstar?"

"If it's not too much trouble…" I said tentatively, concerned that I'd be dragging Hannah on a detour from the sleep that she was desperately needing. Out of the corner of my eye, I actually noticed a sleeping bag tucked away in the corner of the shed, next to the machines. This girl was something else. "I don't want to be a bother or anything, if you just got back."

"Please, I'd be happy to," she replied, snipping off the frayed edge of the linen covering her tattooed arms with a flourish. She stuck the scissors into the back pocket of her jean-shorts, and then fished out a set of keys. Beckoning me out towards the frightening sunlight, she soon locked the incubation shed away from the eyes of any Pokémon curious to its contents.

With that, we set off together to find the baby Swablu. Hannah seemed to know the layout of the ranch like it was second nature, and I imagined that she could navigate with her eyes shut. She pulled me through secluded pathways that I never even knew existed, leading to an overgrown shortcut that parted through the hills. It made sense that she would need to be quick on her feet in case there was an emergency with the eggs, but it was still impressive. Even though she had to be exhausted, she was still brimming with such energy that lead me to believe she was some type of android. She even stopped to play fetch with a Poochyena. Enjoying the sights of the ranch with someone so positive made me appreciate it even more.

"So, are you interested in taking this Swablu?" she asked, raising a blonde, trimmed eyebrow and elbowing me playfully, almost knocking me off-balance. "Most normal people don't seem too interested in eggs or hatchlings, so it's nice to meet someone who gets it, y'know?"

"Wasn't she bred to be given to… like, a customer?" I asked, rubbing at my aching hip in subtle terror. Just like the naughty hatchlings she dealt with, she didn't seem to know how strong she was. She was petite, but it just felt like I had taken an Arm Chop from a Makuhita. In fact, Thomas was the same. It made sense that everyone who worked here was in shape.

"Nah, as awful as it sounds, she's what we call 'surplus stock'. Tom left his Dragonite here for a few days, and he seemed to take a liking to the Altaria we have here. No idea why his Dragonite was staying here, though. He never leaves one of his main team here, so it must have been important. Also, Gulliver generally isn't the type to breed so recklessly like that."

"Wow – so she's the daughter of a Dragonite?" I marvelled, impressed with Thomas' skill as a trainer. It wasn't every day that you saw someone who owned a Dragonite, mostly because their evolution line was nearly extinct in the wild. Even catching a glimpse of one was rare, with most people only ever seeing them through pages or on a screen. "Think he'll take her?"

"Tom is…" Hannah started, unable to avoid a lengthy pause as she searched for the right words. That look on her face had returned. "Well… uh, he's not training anymore, so she'll just live here with the permanent residents. She might get snapped up if he ever notifies his client list about potential adoptions, but that doesn't happen much at the ranch these days."

"Would he be okay with his employees taking a Pokémon?" I wondered aloud, trying to move swiftly on from the topic that made her fall silent for a moment. I couldn't help but seriously consider the option of adopting the Swablu. It was the first real opportunity that I had to get my own companion now that I was legally old enough to apply for a license without an adult's consent. My brother was working all the time, and my mother couldn't really say otherwise since she was only back at home a couple times for the holiday season.

"I've taken a couple, yeah. So long as you mention it to him at some point, he's chill with it," she said, running her smooth fingers across the tiny, inactivated Pokéballs clipped onto her faux-leather belt. It seemed like everyone here was either a trainer, or just owned Pokémon casually for companionship. It made me burn with curiosity to see everyone's unique teams.

Far in the distance, I was at first confused to witness what looked to be a cloud sleeping calmly on the crest of a hill, like it had fallen out of the sky. Before I could question whether I had got enough sleep last night, I realised that I wasn't just looking at some optical illusion. There was an Altaria, basking in the sunlight and enjoying the fleeting gusts of cooled breeze. Until now, I hadn't realised how large they were. Easily five feet tall, the cloud-like material which blanketed most of their bodies made them look much wider than they actually were. Her lengthy, aquamarine neck was tucked neatly into her fluffy plumage, leaving almost no indication that she was a living, breathing creature under all of that snow-white, puffy smoke.

We both approached the cloud slowly, careful not to startle her into suddenly taking flight. She might have been a captured, trained Pokémon, but her motherly instincts would likely activate if we upset her for whatever reason. For most species, new parents could be highly aggressive and territorial, as they needed to be in the wild. Usually, it wasn't a safe place to raise creatures who couldn't fight for themselves yet. Since she had years more experience, Hannah took the lead while I cautiously waited on the side-lines. She raised her bandaged arms to show that she wasn't a threat, and remained close to the ground in a passive gesture.

"Hey girl, I brought the guy I was telling you about. The one your chick bonded with," she said in the sweetest tone, almost like she was talking to one of the hatchlings, although it didn't come off as patronising. She obviously knew how to deal with mothers as well as kids. The Altaria's guarded neck rose to its full, mighty height as she turned to examine both of us.

"Al, taria tar, Altaria!" she sang, voice ringing through the air with impressive clarity. It was almost unbelievable how she changed pitches masterfully, like an opera singer who had been practicing all of their life. The sunlight made her wings glisten with a pink, iridescent sheen. She was a beautiful sight, part of her draconic typing clear in how she commanded attention.

Rousing from slumber at the sound of her mother's voice, a tiny, blue face peeked out of the Altaria's comfortable plumage. It was almost comical, the way the Swablu was completely enveloped by the massive clouds. I could only imagine how heavenly it would feel to be tucked away inside there. Her feathers would be like a heated pillow that covered you from every different angle. At the sight of me, the Swablu faintly chirped as she tried to wrestle free from her mother's wings. She might as well have been fighting against marshmallow. Eventually, she managed to struggle free and bounce adorably across the softened grass.

With surprising strength for a hatchling, the Swablu feverishly flapped her wings as she scrambled over to meet the first person she had ever laid eyes upon. Her plumage was nowhere near as elaborate compared to her mother's, but the flocculent material still allowed her to flutter and float above the ground in short bursts. Her faint chirping had progressed into an orchestra of excited squawking as she fought against the wind currents to reach me.

Kneeling down and holding out my shaking hands, I was slightly afraid of being so close to a delicate, baby Pokémon. I had never even held a baby human, let alone a fragile, infant bird! Ignoring my unease, she nuzzled her way into my arms, and the first thing I noticed was that she was extremely warm. From a combination of being in the summer sun and nestled in her mother's evolved feathers, she radiated a pleasant heat. It felt like holding a hot-water bottle. I couldn't help but cuddle her closer to my chest, shuddering as her cloudy wings brushed gently against my arms. The consistency of them was impossible to describe, almost feeling lighter than air, but somehow still having substance to them, like an expensive, exotic silk.

"See how much of a difference being the first thing you see makes?" Hannah asked, and for a moment, I had forgotten that she had been standing in front of me. Holding the Swablu had made everything else melt away for a moment. "If I had tried to hug her like that, it wouldn't have just been my arms needing bandages. Maybe you should be the one hatching the eggs!"

The Swablu cooed happily in my embrace, and I couldn't help but get a little teary-eyed when hearing the cute, enraptured noise. Despite my eighteen years on this planet, I could count the times I had gotten this close to a Pokémon on a single hand. My innocent joy brought a smile to Hannah's face, and even the Altaria looked pleased. I had expected her to get anxious now that someone else was holding her baby, but she seemed to understand that her offspring had taken a liking to me. Gently, I scratched at the Swablu's feathered chin.

"Swablu, blu!" The little, cloudy ball cried in my arms, her shining eyes staring expectantly. Even her inexperienced voice had a sing-song quality to it, though it was nowhere near as honed as the one I had heard earlier from the Altaria. Still, it was pleasant to listen to, and it seemed to relax my overstimulated nerves. They were known for being therapeutic partners.

" _You're much nicer than that girl!"_ Julian translated, his regal, masculine tones invading my mind soon after the Swablu's squawking had ended. I couldn't care less if he was providing an accurate interpretation of her speech or not. This was too nice of a moment to let the psychic type's presence spoil an ounce of it. If it was correct, I appreciated his efforts to bridge the insurmountable gap between humans and Pokémon. If only we all had the ability.

"If you really do want to take her home, you'll have to wait a while until Altaria is comfortable with letting her go," Hannah wavered, unsure if she should interrupt the meaningful embrace we were sharing. "It shouldn't be longer than about a week or two. Sometimes less, depending on if the mother has been through the whole process before."

"Maybe I shouldn't make such a big decision on a whim," I replied, giving the baby Swablu a bittersweet smile as she gently pecked at my hands. Her beak was still so soft and malleable, which reminded me just how early in her development she was. I could barely handle caring for myself, so being entirely responsible for another life made me reconsider things a little. "But, damn – she's so precious. How can you deal with watching all these hatchlings go to other people, and not snapping them up for yourself? I don't think I'd have the restraint."

"Sadly, six team members is all I can manage," she answered, still keeping her distance from the Swablu in case she decided to unleash another barrage of enraged scratches. Being responsible for some unruly infants had to be a thankless job. "But, since I live here anyway, it feels like I'm training a hundred different Pokémon at once. That tends to soften the blow."

We spent a long time interacting with the mother-and-daughter duo until we realised that the sun was rapidly approaching the middle of the sky. Hannah looked nearly ready to pass out with the prospect of lunchtime on the horizon, so we decided to say our heartfelt goodbyes. Swablu seemed to be sad that I was leaving, but she still couldn't leave the watchful eye of her mother. Hannah promised that she would take me for a visit whenever we both found the time for it, which I had greatly appreciated. Even though she was busy, she was trying to accommodate the bond which had accidentally formed between me and the new hatchling. We started the leisurely stroll back to the lodge, and I knew that she was going straight to bed once we arrived. She was struggling to walk in a straight line, like the lack of sleep had left her utterly intoxicated. Seeing her in such a state made me worry for her overall health here.

Everyone here at the ranch was amazing. They were all so willing to make me comfortable, even at the expense of their own wellbeing. Well, Julian could be somewhat iffy at times, but that seemed to be part of his charm. Despite preparing to hear a snarky, mental comeback project itself into my conscience, things stayed silent. Maybe it was safe to start questioning the motives of the mysterious, viridian swordsman. Was he really just checking inside my head whenever he pleased? There was no way that the Gallade could be inside my mind at all times, as having moments where he was preoccupied with work around the ranch made sense. Although, that brought up the concerning idea that he actively decided to peer inside my head late at night, when I happened to be masturbating. Didn't he have better things to be doing?

" _Yeah. Her name's Katie."_

* * *

Back at the lodge, once we had all eaten our fill of the well-stocked fridge and Hannah had retreated for a couple hours of precious rest, we were grouped outside in the 'back garden'. That's what Brandon had called it, but it looked more like a massive section of flattened land behind the building rather than a garden. Nothing special was growing here. In fact, the surrounding area was barren and decimated. A chalky rectangle had been drawn with thick, white lines onto the sun-bleached grass, mimicking the common image of a battling arena. It looked like a place where some of the trained Pokémon could spar and blow off some steam. As much as these dangerous contests of physical strength irked the psychologist within me, battling was part of their primal nature, so the ranch also needed a place to accommodate that.

Brandon and Katie stepped inside of the fighting grounds, both looking slightly more worn-down from their morning duties. Julian fell into step behind his master, unmoving as ever. Like they had promised earlier, they were preparing to show me the Pokémon that they had both obtained over the years. Hannah was just too tired for that, but I was sure that I'd see her team at some other point. It was nice to see that the workers gave each of their Pokémon some time outside of their Pokéballs, though. Some trainers were too lazy to bother with that.

"Since I suggested the idea, let me take the lead," Brandon said, producing a classic, red-and-white Pokéball from the deep pockets of his dungarees. His massive hand dwarfed the sphere, even as it expanded once he clicked the button. Tossing the ball high into the air, he let out a cheery yell once it began to explode open in a burst of light. "Indra, come on out, buddy!"

Appearing from thin air in a disorienting blast of white flashes, stood a proud Manectric. Looking like he had been born from thunder and lightning itself, the patches of shaggy, yellow fur crackled and sparked with electricity. Showing off his elemental prowess, the deep-blue sections of his coat stood on end. His pointed, angular tail was as rigid as a lightning-rod. Glowing with life, his red, loyal eyes focused solely on his trainer as he barely acknowledged the presence of a new face. The devotion to his trainer was clear in his posture.

"Indra's been with me since I was a baby, pretty much," Brandon explained, smiling almost as proud as the electric canine sitting in front of him. I never would have noticed them if the tanned worker didn't mention it, but the Discharge Pokémon did display some signs of age. Chipped claws and strands of grey whiskers around his muzzle were the only indications. "Not much fazes him now, but he used to be quite the softie. You're free to run around, boy. The others will be out to play soon. Remind them not to get too rough like last time, okay?"

Finally responding to a command, the Manectric slackened his militaristic pose and took off towards the faraway treeline to stretch his four legs. Jeez, that canine was insanely fast, even if he had already reached his twilight years. It was difficult to fathom just how much time Brandon must have spent with the electric type. I had noticed that all trainers were innocently proud of their starter Pokémon, no matter how old they were. There was an unshakable bond that partners always had, and I wondered if I was going to have the same love for the Swablu. Well, if I managed to adopt her, anyway. Seeing Brandon's love for Indra renewed my desire.

"Next, I'd like to introduce these two as a pair, since they're pretty inseparable," Brandon grinned, and I noticed both Katie and Julian take a deep breath in preparation from the corner of my eye. As the muscled worker brandished two more Pokéballs, I wondered just what duo of Pokémon could elicit such a displeased reaction. "I'll let them speak for themselves here!"

Before the white light from the two colliding spheres had even vanished, I noticed that the two separate Pokémon were already entangled. When they finally solidified, an Emolga was clutching onto the backside of a frightened Blitzle. The equine Pokémon was immediately startled by the Emolga's presence, as he repeatedly slapped his striped, bucking haunches. The Blitzle's wide, yellow-blue eyes starkly contrasted against his black and white hide, making it easy to keep track of the two as he galloped off into the distance. The Emolga cheered like a cowboy encouraging his mount. The poor Blitzle was trying to seek out Indra for assistance, as the Emolga cackled mischievously all the way over to the dense treeline, his chubby, yellow cheeks sparking with excitement. The loud, chaotic scene left me speechless.

"Dominic and Zackary. I lived in Unova for most of my teenage years, and picked them up right around the same time. I've pretty much given up on teaching Zack not to pester Dom."

I couldn't help but notice the theme in Brandon's Pokémon choice. It wasn't that uncommon to see trainers who preferred keeping a specific type, as everyone had their preferences in what was enjoyable to train, but it wasn't the smartest idea if you wanted to be a pro battler. Then again, I doubted that Brandon cared about victories against other trainers, as his intense kindness probably didn't vanish if someone requested to battle him. Electric types had always been a favourite of mine, as their limitless energy often manifested in unique personalities. Even with one of them on a team, there would never be a dull moment. Three? Total chaos.

"Hey, uh – Brandon?" I asked, wondering if he had a funny reason or anecdote behind only owning electric types. "Is there a reason why you-"

"Didn't take long for you to notice! Because I'm gay," he interrupted, flashing back a wide, positive smile that stunned me into silence. While that wasn't even close to my question, it did explain why a poképhile had only selected male Pokémon. After noticing my shocked expression, he must have realised his overzealous mistake. "Oh! You meant the types, right?"

That caused the four of us to erupt into unexpected laughter. Even Julian's spiritual chuckling could be heard deep inside my ears over the racket we were making. Brandon rubbed at the back of his neck with humble embarrassment, probably laughing the hardest out of us all. This was the first moment where we had all shared a good, honest laugh together, and it made my heart flutter as it seemed like I had already been accepted into their group with no issues. These people might not just be my co-workers. Maybe they could end up being my friends. After wiping a tickled tear away from his eye, Brandon looked over at the three quarrelling electric types. Indra had successfully tackled Zackary from Dominic's rump, and was barking all sorts of reprimands at the flying squirrel. The tanned worker sighed, and cleared his throat.

"Well, it just kind of happened that way, I guess. Indra was a gift from my dad, and both my parents were pretty famous in Mauville for training electric types. Once I realised that I had a theme going with Dom and Zack, I didn't have the heart to tell them that it wasn't planned."

With his turn now over, Brandon jogged over and did his best to break up the playful fight that was about to erupt between his team members. Zackary, who had been shrieking in a high-pitched voice and stomping his feet like a little brat, soon calmed down once the gentle giant came over to sort things out. It seemed like a handful to keep things peaceful between a trio of eccentric, electric Pokémon who zipped around all over the place. However, judging by what I had seen from the muscled worker, he had enough love and patience to go around. Eventually, all three of them returned obediently by his side to the outlines of the battle arena.

"I don't really need a big song and dance to introduce Julian," Katie started, performing a vigorous set of jazz hands towards the judgemental Gallade. Surprisingly, after a moment of consideration, he struck a dynamic pose. It seemed as if he went out of his way to humour her. "Maybe I'll give you the full, dramatic version some other time, but the summary is that I went against my parents and secretly captured him right outside Petalburg, where I grew up. After a few months of hiding him inside my closet, I realised that he had some crazy ability to read people – even by a psychic's standards – and then it was too late to get a new one."

" _Hah, hah,"_ Julian projected, his ethereal voice dripping with sarcasm. Katie lovingly punched him on the shoulder, much to his chagrin. I viewed their relationship as something that should be the ideal image for poképhiles, since it looked like they were soulmates. The two had been together for so long, and had such a unique dynamic, that it would feel as if something was missing with only one of them. Actually, I felt some envy at what they shared.

"The rest are immensely more interesting, so I'll start in order from when I got them," she said, while pulling out a Great Ball from the tiny, cream-coloured purse hanging by her waist. Instead of tossing it into the air, she squatted down and placed it on the grass. "Go, Leilana!"

Emerging from the obscuring light was a small, fragrant Bellossom. As soon as she appeared amidst the flattened grass, the area became blanketed in the heavenly scent of beechwood and passionfruit. Looking somewhat surprised at her sudden summoning, she opened her eyes slowly and nervously covered her face with stubby, green arms. The large, red flowers adorning her head spun erratically as she surveyed her surroundings. As soon as she noticed me, she recoiled and waddled towards Katie. The hula-skirt made from petals swished around rhythmically as she concealed herself behind her trainer's legs. She peered back over at me with a tearful, frightened expression, like I was an apparition of death or something horrible.

"She's the shyest Pokémon that I've ever met, at least with strangers. Even as an Oddish, it was bad enough that she'd hide herself underground whenever I'd introduce her like this," Katie giggled, stepping aside so that the grass type was left in the open again for a few precious seconds. She yelped and followed her trainer shortly afterwards. "Although, I wouldn't have it any different now, isn't that right honey? We've been slowly getting better."

She tussled at the Bellossom's head-flowers, which had started to spin around at a more consistent pace. I was beginning to understand just what kind of trainer that Katie was. She was the type to shower each and every one of her Pokémon with physical affection, even if these advances weren't appreciated in the moment. In fact, she seemed to be a physical person in general, as she was always holding Julian's hand or making these wild gestures. Although, she was gentler with Leilana, like a mother fussing over their child's dirty face.

"Come on, Lei," she crooned, hugging the grass type close to her chest like I had done previously with the new-born Swablu. It was like we both had a weakness for cute Pokémon. "You're going to have to get used to Alex at some point, since you'll be seeing a lot of each other from now on. He's one of us now, so you don't have to worry about hiding anything."

I waved reassuringly at the Bellossom as she tip-toed back out into the open. She gave me a soft, but unsure smile as her cheeks became tinged with crimson splotches. From the way Katie had worded that, it sounded as if the grass type became a lot more comfortable around other poképhiles. That made sense, since Pokémon likely also understood the stigma that was associated around interspecies relationships. I couldn't blame Leilana for being so cautious, and I just hoped she would show me her true colours eventually. She was adorable, but looked almost as delicate as a real flower, so I couldn't imagine Katie used her to battle.

"Okay, my next Pokémon is the reason that we're all standing inside the battling arena," Katie sighed, pulling out a pure-white Premier Ball with some hesitance. Her fingers gently pressed down on the button that caused the spherical capsule to burst open. Brandon had quietly huddled around his three electric types, not letting any of them out of his sight. Suddenly, I felt the urge to flee back to the lodge. "Keaton – this is the ranch! You're safe!"

Crouched down in the signature white flash, a Zangoose emerged dramatically with an angry, tightened glare. Those eyes were darting around his surroundings with confusion like he had just been dropped into the middle of combat, despite Katie's reassurance as to his location. His razor-sharp, gleaming claws had been tarnished with deep gashes, which meant he had seen his fair share of life-threatening battles. Aside from the blood-red sections of fur that were meant to mimic battle scars, I could very clearly make out circular scars on his bare skin where his coat had been permanently stripped away. They looked like hundreds of bitemarks. Part of his left ear was ragged, as if it had been harshly torn off. What had he been through?

"Don't worry, once he notices the chalk outline, he'll realise where he is," Katie reassured, approaching the Zangoose like he wasn't dangerous to anyone. She pulled the wary normal type into a comforting hug. He scowled, but eventually leaned into the embrace with disdain. At her presence, his expression became much more serene. "I rescued him from a pack of Seviper from back when I used to travel around the region. He was pretty chewed up once I finally fought the bastards off, and the doctors weren't sure he'd even survive for a while. He's got bigger balls than any guy I've met, but he still struggles with the trauma from that."

All of Katie's Pokémon had diverse histories, and from the sounds of it, the girl herself had a ton of stories from her time spent travelling. Adventurers were common in Hoenn, since the unique landscapes lent themselves well to exploring. It wasn't something that I had seriously considered, since you had to be a pretty special person to survive outdoors with nothing but a backpack of supplies and the Pokémon you picked up along the way. Keaton was an example of the good that came from such a desire to travel. If Katie hadn't been there to intervene, then he wouldn't be standing here in front of me. It was better to be damaged than destroyed. The rescued Zangoose likely felt indebted to his trainer, under all of those stressful feelings. Why else would he put up with those hugs? All of these ranch workers were so admirable.

"Lastly, the newest addition to the group!" she cheered, after making sure that Keaton had calmed down from his initial freak-out. He soon took to absentmindedly licking at his paws. Katie produced a black, shiny Luxury Ball from her purse. While the other types of Pokéball were seen everywhere, I had never met someone who could afford such an expensive item. Ironically, she seemed to care the least about this one's value, since she twirled it into the air with uncontrollable excitement. I braced myself for another flash. My eyes were hurting now.

It revealed a sparkling Sylveon, who immediately arranged his flowing bows and ribbons into an elaborate, picturesque pose. His striking, crystalline eyes were alert and his bushy tail was already swishing with enjoyment. For some reason, it was intimidating that Katie owned a mixture of Pokémon that looked harmless and ones that could seriously fuck your day over. The spotless Sylveon looked comically out-of-place beside the battle-weary Zangoose, but it seemed like he was enjoying all of the attention. The blue tips of his ribbons waved gently in the breeze as he sat like a pretty, little prince. He gave each of us a practiced, fanged smile.

"Nobody claimed an Eevee egg a few months ago, and this beautiful guy's helped me to learn how to play better with all of the other Pokémon. I didn't even need to battle or seriously train him, and he just evolved without any warning!" she explained, gazing at her Sylveon in a spooky, trance-like state. Everyone fell silent as we stared at him. "I love him… so much."

" _Let me warn you now. Never mind Keaton - Maxxie is probably the most dangerous one here. He has the ability Cute Charm, which also just so happens to work on poképhiles too. You better look away right now, since I already know guys can make you hot and bothered."_

The ethereal warning from Julian came just in time, as I had already found myself wanting to wrap myself around the Sylveon's velvety, curving ribbons. I shook my head to clear all of the amorous thoughts, turning to see that Brandon had managed to avert his gaze as well. What a terrifying ability for a Pokémon to have, especially for those who found them sexy. Anyone who caught a glimpse of the Sylveon out in public could potentially be ousted as a poképhile, if they threw themselves onto the alluring fairy type. I wondered if Katie had actively worked towards evolving Maxxie into a Sylveon, because it seemed like something she would really enjoy. Owning a Pokémon with Cute Charm was like finding the holy grail.

That seemed to be the entirety of both Brandon and Katie's teams. Seeing everyone's loving companions grouped together like this only made my drive to adopt that Swablu stronger. Zack had started to play a game of tag with Maxxie, whereas Indra had tentatively pawed his way towards Keaton and was carefully nuzzling into him, like he had been trained to help. Now that the spotlight was away from Leilana, she was wiggling her hips to an invisible beat, and waving her small arms in tandem. I smiled widely at the candid sight of her dancing. There was no doubt in my mind anymore. I wanted to own a Pokémon so I could be part of something that I never got to experience as a young teenager. I wouldn't truly feel like a member of this exclusive, wonderful group unless I was a trainer. It wasn't too late to start collecting Pokémon that I wanted to love and protect, especially as I had an outlet for my feelings. I felt an intense, burning fire inside of my chest, one that had been snuffed long ago.

"Having a little Pokémon powwow, are we?" a familiar voice called out from behind us, causing everyone to spin around at different times. Katie was the last to notice, before she was finally pulled away from her Sylveon's alluring ability. Thomas stood before us with windswept hair, wearing one of his stereotypical, black suits. He was carrying a leather briefcase under his arm, and of course, never lessened his winning smile for even a second. "Usually things are hot and heavy around this time in the afternoon. This looks like quite the party you've assembled here. Should I come back here later? In a couple of hours, perhaps?"

"No, we're just showing Alex our team members, boss!" Brandon laughed, stopping in his attentive caressing of Dominic's hide to give the beaming businessman a courteous wave. "Actually, you were right – we're pretty sure that he's one of us now. You're three for three!"

"That's wonderful news!" he exclaimed, and I expected to receive a pat on the back even though the man was about fifteen feet away from me. Thomas seemed to be in much higher spirits than usual, which was already astounding. "However, if you're all finished out here, I'd like to invite you all inside of the lodge for something. This news will be even better!"

He was grinning like an Alolan Meowth who had just sunk its claws into a Rattata, and he wiggled the briefcase at us forcefully. Whatever was inside he was incredibly pleased about, and it looked to be the result of that business meeting he had attended. I wondered what could come out of Rustboro that would be beneficial for this breeding business. Usually, it was just a lot of new engineering components and gadgets that nerds went crazy over every few years. With our interests piqued, we hurried inside after Brandon and Katie returned their Pokémon.

"What I have in this briefcase will change how we go about things at this ranch. Forever!"


	4. Gym Leaders of Breeding

"What I have here…" Thomas began, while he unlatched the silver, ornate clip on the front of his spotless briefcase. He gleefully watched each of our faces light up like kids unwrapping their presents on Christmas day, as the leather parted upwards to the reveal the fruits of his latest business venture. "Are state-of-the-art, experimental Pokemon translators from the Devon Corporation! Just wear one of these, and you'll be able to understand Pokéspeak!"

There was a collective gasp as we all struggled to believe his words. Five, identical pieces of technology were lying in front of us, partially concealed by a white, silken handkerchief to keep them pristine and undamaged. They looked rather similar to the Bluetooth headset that Thomas had clipped to one of his ears, but were more futuristic and compact. They had more in common with hearing aids than anything else, actually. Maybe one an alien would have. The complex machines were a midnight-black colour, complete with a blue dial on the right side to control volume. The iconic Devon logo was etched into the front, likely by a laser. Obviously, these were designed to attach to a person's ears, but where were the speakers?

"Holy shit…" Hannah whispered, now roused from her slumber due to the prospect of new, ground-breaking technology. She was still wiping the crust away from her eyes, and a pink sleeping mask had been propped up on her forehead. The excitement seemed to wake her up much faster than caffeine ever would, as she bounced energetically between each bare foot. "How much did these even cost, Tom!? They haven't been released commercially yet, right?"

"Paige, my wonderful contact at Devon, managed to get us these free of charge in exchange for some business advice," he explained, barely able to get the words past his sparkling grin. All of this sounded too good to be true, as sceptics of a device that could turn the simplistic language of Pokémon into English often said such a thing was impossible. It must have still been confidential, worked on by the upper echelons of society in complete, strict secrecy. "These models will each send diagnostic reports to Devon every week, so we're essentially the beta testers. That was the only way I could convince her to agree with such a huge deal."

He might as well have been carrying a hoard of gemstones in that briefcase. We each looked at the translators with lustre and amazement, as the living room slipped into complete silence. The possibilities that these tiny machines provided was nearly unfathomable, and I was the one who had barely any contact with Pokémon before all of this. I couldn't begin to imagine what the other workers were thinking, as they would finally get the chance to understand their team members without the help of a psychic type. These translators could prove that each and every Pokémon had a unique personality, since the barrier of language had been surpassed. Imagine getting to listen to your partner's voice properly for the first time, after many years.

" _All of the dirty talk is going to drive them crazy,"_ Julian hinted, and I was too enthralled by philosophical thoughts of communication to give him a scathing reply. He might have been cracking jokes inside of my head, but the Gallade had that same excited glisten in his eyes. Psychic abilities must drain his energy eventually, but now he could speak using his normal voice and forego all of that assimilation nonsense. This would change everything for him.

"I feel like I'm dreaming…" Brandon rasped, looking almost faint after considering the idea of being able to talk with his own Pokémon. His kind, gentle demeanour had been replaced with a more intense look of shock and disbelief. "How can something like this even exist!?"

"Can we try them out, Thomas?" Katie asked, eager to get her hands on the priceless headsets and test them out with Julian. She jumped onto her boyfriend's back and wrapped her arms around his muscular shoulders, cuddling into him with glee. She had been dealing with his telepathic speech for so many years, that it would be surreal to hear him speak regularly.

"Actually, the whole reason I sat through a hundred meetings to get these was for the new position here at the ranch," he said, not bothering to hide the fact that he was staring right at my embarrassed face. Suddenly, I could feel the envious eyes of everyone drilling into me. Wanting a hole to appear in the floor and swallow me to cease the pressure, I shrank away from the briefcase. Putting me on the spot like that wasn't very cool. Thomas could be evil. "With these, our wonderful Pokémon psychologist can finally start working here. How about we all calm down and let Alex have the first crack at them? They work best in silence, and only on trained Pokémon. Some tech shit about interacting with digitisation and Pokéballs."

He was totally insane. The suave businessman had hired me before he even received the technology which would allow me to do my job. He was trusting a new employee with an expensive asset that wasn't even available to the general public yet. What if I decided to just cut my losses here and run away with the briefcase, selling the devices to the highest bidder? His unfounded trust in me was a little worrying. Still, I was already thinking of ways that I could repay the man, and I couldn't come up with anything less than being his servant for the rest of my life. This amount of generosity wasn't normal. Thomas had swaggered his way into my boring life, plucked me from my hermitry, and added me to the ranch's master plan.

Nevertheless, I was accepting the translator that had been shoved into my hands by all of the other workers, who had quickly recovered from their jealousy. Afraid that I would smash the thing against the floor with my fumbling fingers, I managed to flick the 'ON' switch and clip the black cube onto my ear. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it would definitely take some time to forget the extra weight hanging off my earlobe. Hearing aids usually had a slight ring to them, didn't they? There wasn't even the faintest noise, so I thought I had already broken it.

"Brandon can't fall asleep without his Pikachu plushie."

The new voice inside the room nearly made me jump out of my skin. The tone had a strange quality that I had never heard before. Something about it was distinctly inhuman. However, there was an element of extravagance layered on the top, that made me feel as if there was a royal king talking down to me. Such a deep and elegant voice was abnormally loud, and it took me a few seconds to realise it had been digitalised and transferred into my equipped ear.

Julian was looking at me. Without his cobalt eyes. Everyone else was staring at the Gallade like he had just said the most horrific string of slurs. Hannah noted quietly that she had never heard him use his normal voice, and it struck me that his words had lost their ethereal echo.

"Really, he can't?" I replied, grinning back at the Gallade, managing to catch on to his game of sharing secrets right under their noses. He never missed an opportunity to joke around. Everyone else blatantly watched us both in bewilderment as I answered the psychic type.

"He brings it everywhere with him," Julian snickered, and it was extremely uncanny to notice his white lips moving along with words accompanying them. His knightly voice was actually quite subdued and hoarse, like his favouring of telepathy had irreversibly affected his throat.

"Guys… this thing really works!" I cheered, whirling back around to meet the scepticism on the faces of everyone else. Julian wasn't the best example to display the effects of the translator, but they would just have to accept my sincerity. If anything, they looked more taken aback by my childish enthusiasm. "I was able to understand every word that he said!"

Roughly, the next hour was spent handing out the other translators and having everyone speak with Julian, eliciting similar reactions each time. Katie seemed to be touched the most, as she nearly broke down into tears upon hearing her boyfriend's jokes without all the reverb. At one point, the Gallade had to actually retreat for a glass of water because of how much he was abusing his real voice. After listening to him, I was convinced that there was nothing left to separate the psychic type from us humans. Julian rightfully deserved his place next to us.

Once our new reality finally set in, Brandon, Katie and Hannah dashed back outside into the flattened garden to talk with the rest of their Pokémon. I was tempted to join them, but I noticed that Thomas had stayed behind. He was sitting on the lounge's red armchair, idly fiddling away with his own translator. While he dressed the part of a stuck-up boss, he acted quite similar to his employees, perhaps just with more restraint. It made me wonder what kind of trainer he was. Having a Dragonite on your team would be no easy task, even for the veterans that specialised in dragon types. Everything about the businessman was mysterious. He noticed my unsubtle staring and cracked me his million-dollar smile, which didn't help.

"Thomas, why are you doing all of this?" I asked, almost getting tired of the way he would show that damn grin instead of explaining anything. He seemed to know what he was doing, and could obviously run a successful business, but he acted like he was just winging it all. Even though I was socially inept, it was clear to me that he was presenting a fake persona. However, to my surprise, his reaction was the complete opposite of what I had predicted.

He gave me a serious glance with his verdant, green eyes. The wrinkles aligned to his smile quickly faded after the question, until his face nearly became statuesque. It looked like he had just gained twenty years of experience in the space of two seconds. After sitting up straight, he cleared his throat and made a steeple with his hands. I could already feel the oncoming speech intended to inspire and placate me. Was this the true Thomas that I was looking at, or was it just another persona…? One that he used in boardrooms and business presentations? His professional demeanour was as intimidating as it was charming. I lost myself in his gaze.

"What do you think of this region, Alex?" he simply said. Even though it instantly made my blood boil, I couldn't ignore the man's bravery to answer a question with another question.

"Well… I've never been anywhere else," I answered, deciding to humour my boss and see wherever this tangent brought us both. Going along with him was the least I could do, since he had basically saved me from a life of isolation and mediocracy. "But Hoenn's pretty good, isn't it? The only thing that irks me is the whole focus on the Battle Frontier, but other than that, there's not much to complain about since the stuff with Team Magma and Aqua ended."

"Now, that's something I've never heard before," Thomas replied, a hint of his usual glee and interest etching onto the corners of his mouth. I was aware that my disdain for the battling scene was uncommon, since the Frontier basically kept the entire region's economy afloat. "Hoenn's love for competitive battling is very helpful for the breeding community, actually. Many will spend a fortune to obtain healthy Pokémon that can be used in the Battle Frontier."

"Is that why you started your business here?" I thought aloud, not surprised in the slightest. Thousands of people funnelled through Lilycove City every day, just to take one of the many luxury ferries that sailed to the Battle Frontier. All the traffic had to be good for any business.

"Partly, yes. I was born in Mossdeep, so being next to the ocean is also nice," he nodded, pleased that I had followed nicely. It seemed like he was fishing to get my opinion on battling, so maybe that's where his interest in breeding had originated. "Although, all of the Frontier tourists aren't exactly my targets. Not much good comes from having our names known by every boring household across the region. This might sound like a pipe dream, but eventually, I want this place to be visited by Hoenn's Gym Leaders and even the Frontier Brains themselves. The elites are known for constantly being in the market for hatchlings."

He paused for a moment to let his lofty words sink in, buffing out a blemish on one of his expensive loafers. As much as I wanted to believe the convincing businessman, there was no way that a simple breeding business could reach that level of prestige. Not with the way things were going, anyway. While this place was impressive, and could accommodate pretty much every Pokémon in existence, those trainers already had their own connections in place. Why stop going to a breeder trusted by the League itself to visit one in the middle of a forest?

"So, what are you doing to try and accomplish this dream?" I asked, genuinely curious as to what his response would be. The man came from a rich background, but surely not the type of rich that was involved with old money and the shadowy echelons that oversaw the region. It was all fine and good to aim high like that, but nothing would come about unless he had a meticulous plan to wriggle his way into the elite's radar. The pessimist in me was doubtful.

"Well, I'm already familiar with a couple Gym Leaders from battling tournaments in the past. Brawly and Flannery, to be precise, and then my parents were responsible for designing the estate that Tate and Liza's family live in," he revealed, nearly making me fall out of my chair. He had just casually namedropped a bunch of celebrities that some people devoted their entire lives to stalking and documenting. "Aside from that, I'm also employing people who, perhaps if things had gone a little differently, could have been elected to be a Gym Leader."

It was nearly impossible not to voice my disbelief out loud. Was he really trying to say that we were on the same level as people like Brawly or Flannery? There was no way that he was referring to me, or even someone like Brandon, when he said that. That sounded way too crazy even for someone like him. Gym Leaders were the best of the best, and were unrivalled in their type of expertise. To insinuate that a boy who had been eating expired cereal in his underwear just a day previously had that sort of potential was laughable. So… I laughed.

"I'm serious, Alex," he said, looking somewhat offended at my reaction. "Have you ever noticed that the Gym leaders in Hoenn each have a clearly-defined part of their personality? Flannery's hot-headedness despite her inexperience, Wattson's technical ingenuity, or even Roxanne's desire to teach children the basics of Pokémon? All of them are really admirable."

"Yeah, but that admirable quality is rare. Not just anybody can build a Gym and convince people to follow them like that," I countered, tempted to rise out of my seat and slam my hands onto the coffee table to emphasise my point. I couldn't remember the last time I had gotten this invested in a conversation. Somehow, the smart man had sunk his hooks into me.

"No – each one of you has the same thing. Haven't you realised that yet? Take Brandon's ability to be kind no matter the situation or Hannah's tireless devotion to the ranch's eggs. Katie and Julian are an amazing, shining example of the benefits that come with poképhilia."

"But we're working for a breeder… not being Gym Leaders!" I stressed, feeling a little like my words were falling on deaf ears. I still had no idea where he was going with any of this. He was trying to connect two things that were completely unrelated in my mind. Breeding and battling rarely complimented each other at all. Nurturing a creature from birth only to use it's fascinating qualities for dull violence and competitions? Battlers took advantage of many breeders for their services, and that was often as far as it went. I let out a sigh of frustration.

"Exactly," he grinned, meaning that he must have reached the defining point of his argument. I could barely look him in the eyes. "I want you guys to be the Gym Leaders of breeding."

"What does that mean though, Thomas!?" I said, attempting to swallow down my anger just in case he decided to fire me for such an outburst. It seemed like our philosophies were in complete opposition from each other, likely due to our differences in upbringing and status. Maybe if I had been allowed to become a trainer when I was younger, I would agree with it.

"I've not been picking my employees randomly. You each have something that makes you useful to raising Pokémon, and that will ultimately make my business grow. My list of contacts and clients is already miles long, so the Gym Leaders will take notice of this place."

"You didn't mention me," I stated, feeling my self-confidence start to spiral downwards until it landed back into its languid state before my employment. I wasn't upset at Thomas, but more annoyed at myself. I couldn't exactly refute the defining qualities of the other ranch workers, because it happened to be one of the very first things I had noticed about them all. However, I was just an inexperienced teenager who only happened to receive good grades.

"I didn't. Because you're going to prove yourself to me, now that we have these translators," he said, tapping gently on the Devon corporation logo jutting out from his ear. "Your job is to talk with the Pokémon here, and connect with them like no breeder has ever done before this. You need to get their views on what more could be done at this ranch to improve their lives."

There it was. The thing that I had been waiting for him to tell me since that life-changing phone conversation had finally arrived. Thomas smiled at me again, with fleeting sincerity. Honestly, I had not expected this to be the moment. Given his prior methods, it wouldn't have surprised me if he had just abandoned me to figure out what the hell I should be doing on my own. However, my true purpose here would be to consult the breeding Pokémon on the state of the ranch, now that we could communicate easily. Logically, it made total sense. They should have just as much input in what happens here as the employees. In fact, since they spent all of their time within the ranch's fences, their every need should be prioritised. However, something about his plan was still confusing. His unfounded expectations of me.

"Why did you pick me… of all people?" I asked, searching the labyrinthine forest inside the man's eyes for hints of an answer. Thomas was difficult to analyse. His face barely moved.

"For starters, your exceptional grade in Pokémon psychology," he began, leaning back into the glossy armchair after giving me a disapproving sigh. "You keep playing down the fact that your results were the best in the region. That's a great achievement! I've been looking for a recent high school graduate to bring a fresh perspective on things, and you were the best candidate I could've asked for. You're basically the Gym Leader of that psychology course."

When he put it like that, everything he was saying earlier began to make a little bit of sense. Normally, it would be a risk to hire an eighteen-year-old with no work experience, but it seemed like Thomas didn't conform to any conventional business strategies. If he was going to hire someone based on their ability to understand how Pokémon behaved, but also wanted to cultivate a young, impressionable novice, then I really did slot in nicely to his strange plan. Although, hearing him refer to me as a Gym Leader left a strong, bitter taste in my mouth.

"Secondly, you have such a potent desire to get closer with Pokémon. You've gone most of your life without experiencing their wonders first-hand, so that leaves you with a burning passion to learn all that you can about them. Most people are around Pokémon so much that they can forget how amazing they are, or even start to resent them in the most severe cases. Every place that deals with caring for a large number of Pokémon needs someone like you."

Now that I had learned of Thomas' ambitious goal, it felt like my fate was now inescapably tied to his breeding ranch. Although his dream to have all of the Gym Leaders visit his business sounded idiotic at first, I was starting to understand where he was coming from. Thomas was hunting for people that were unique enough to stand alongside Hoenn's elites. He didn't just need an extra pair of hands that could fill the troughs and push lumber around, rather, he wanted people with skills that were hard to come across. People that could apply themselves to breeding Pokémon with wholehearted affection. The Gym Leaders of breeding.

"Okay, Thomas. You've convinced me," I sighed, too beaten down by his enthusiasm and honed charisma to continue the argument any further. I would just have to accept that the man believed in my potential, and didn't view hiring me as some horrid, elaborate mistake. "If you want this place to be on the radar of the Gym Leaders… then I'll help you get there."

"We can do it together, Alex," he assured, getting up and striding behind the stained couch. Once again, I felt a powerful hand clasp onto my back. For the first time, it didn't feel like a throwaway gesture that he must have done to everyone. There was something different about the way his hand brushed proudly against me, like he was offering me some kind of blessing. "Together, yeah? With everyone else. We're devoting ourselves to the growth of this place."

* * *

After that heart-to-heart, Thomas decided to take his leave. He grabbed the empty briefcase and said his suave goodbyes, and was halfway out the door before I could even give a reply. The man's passionate words were still repeating inside of my head, as I pondered the first real purpose that I had been given for many years. It felt strange to be chasing a goal after I had been an aimless drifter for so long. He looked eager to leave for something, so I assumed that he was excited to try out the translator like everyone else. Actually, even though our break was nearing its end, I couldn't help but notice that my fellow employees had failed to return from the garden. I didn't want to be a spoilsport, but if we were seriously devoting ourselves to working here, then we couldn't spend all of our time relaxing in this huge lodge. They were probably just spending some extra time having conversations with their Pokémon.

Instead, after stepping out into the stifling sunlight, I found them all doing something that I really should have predicted. Each one of my co-workers was in a varying state of undress. Brandon had slackened his dungarees and discarded his shirt onto the dead grass behind him. My eyes passed slowly over his dark, tanned chest, soaking up all of the glorious musculature before it would be concealed once again. Doing all of the handiwork around the ranch had given him an intense figure that contrasted with his sweet, nerdy face. He was lying next to his crumpled shirt, locked in a romantic kiss with Indra. Pleasured sparks seemed to dance and twirl their way across his hairy body, but he didn't react. Either he enjoyed the pain, or had built up a resistance to the electrical energy. His thick fingers were losing themselves in patches of the Manectric's crackling fur. The very tip of the canine's rigid tail was wagging.

Katie, obviously, was tangled up in Julian's embrace. The denim shorts she had been wearing had been pulled down to her ankles, as the aroused Gallade ravenously grinded against her. The dainty, cream-coloured sweater that she always wore was unfortunately still covering up her chest. To be fair, I already knew what it would look like. Julian's sharp arm-blades were carefully positioned away from his trainer's body as he tried to sneak a hand under the wool. I had no idea how Katie could feel safe with those weapons so close to her bare skin, even if Julian had gotten skilled with them over the years. What if he lost control and pierced her?

And then there was the beautiful Hannah, who hadn't taken off any articles of clothing, but instead had her face hidden in the thighs of a Pokémon who I hadn't met before. A lithe, brown bunny was splayed out on the grass. The Lopunny's legs were spread, which would have given me an amazing view of her wet unmentionables if Hannah wasn't buried in them. The normal type had massive, floppy ears that bounced every time she moaned, which ended in yellow puffs that reminded me of Swablu's clouds. Her hands were also hidden by a layer of this dense fluff, but they were placed on the back of Hannah's head, grasping at strands of her short, pink hair and keeping her locked between the Lopunny's chocolate-brown thighs.

Clearly, they were doing a lot more than just testing out the translators. I almost kicked myself at the realisation that another one of Julian's predictions had proven true. Simple words could only take them so far in expressing their love for their partners. I wondered if he was capable of some omniscient foresight, or he had just gotten good at predicting what his close friends would do if given the opportunity. Either way, it didn't change the fact that I was witnessing another round of poképhilia, this time remaining undisturbed by my presence. Every time that I tried to look away, my attention would then fall back to the growing bulge between Indra's legs, or Katie's pale, perfect tummy that had since been revealed by Julian. Dammit, I was starting to get hard. I felt like some kind of creepy stalker watching like this.

"Excuse me, you're that cute guy from earlier, r-right?"

A faint, unsure voice sounded out from the grass below me. I looked down to discover that Katie's adorable Bellossom had approached me, and was almost hugging fearfully at my leg. I had been so enthralled by the debauchery around me that I had failed to notice her presence. Leilana was shaking, as she nuzzled into my sweatpants. I was very impressed that she had worked up the courage to speak with me, since she seemed to be terrified of me an hour ago. Trying to ignore the tent that was forming in my boxers, I kneeled down to meet her eyeline and to make myself appear less intimidating. My eyes fluttered at her idyllic, tropical scent.

"That's me," I chuckled, tempted to ruffle at the flowers adorning her head. Better to be safe than sorry, though. Touching her so suddenly like that would frighten her off. "What's up?"

"Um… it looks like Katie won't be done with Julian for a while, and she told me that you're one of us, so could I maybe have some f-fun with you?" she spluttered, mostly speaking to the ground. Her hula skirt swished from side-to-side as she nervously shivered, and her smooth, green face had been muddied by splotches of crimson blush. Even though she was propositioning me for sex, her body language was withdrawn and pitiful. "If that's okay…"

I had no clue what to say to the shy grass type in front of me. Watching poképhilia and then partaking in it were still vastly different things from my perspective, and I wasn't too sure that I was even comfortable enough with that first field. The cheesy porn video I had jerked off to yesterday had sparked a series of crippling, guilty feelings, so what would actually going through with this encounter do to me? My other sexual experiences hadn't exactly been anything to write home about either. Hell, I had only got the chance to fool around with a few girls back in high school, and that didn't go past very clumsy and embarrassing third-base. Leilana might have been expecting me to be on the same level as the other poképhiles here.

" _Just do it already, you big baby. Even these days, it's pretty rare for Leilana to be the first one to ask for sex, so you better take that opportunity. She'd be perfect for your first time."_

Julian clearly didn't want to spoil the quality time he was having with Katie, but the madman still took the time to telepathically encourage me while he was roughly pounding away at her. His multi-tasking skills were impressive, if not unnerving. When I looked at it his way, it was hard to argue otherwise. Jumping right into the deep end with Indra's electrical shocks or Maxxie's terrifying Cute Charm ability might totally scare me away from poképhilia forever. It was better to start off with someone that I could handle, and there likely wouldn't be a more appropriate Pokémon than Leilana. Her species were known to be fun-loving, but also very gentle and considerate. She came with Julian's recommendation, and that was enough.

"I haven't really done stuff with a Pokémon before," I admitted, looking deeply into the cute Bellossom's sparkling, blue eyes. At the sound of my voice, the flowers on her head began to rapidly spin around, spraying the scent of passionfruit into the air. "Is that alright with you?"

"Yeah… that's f-fine. We can do things slowly," she stuttered. The way that she fidgeted with the curled hem of her hula skirt and avoided my gaze weirdly reminded me of myself. We had similar personalities, despite our differences in species and gender, that could have made things awkward, but I felt a connection with the anxious Bellossom. She was trying to put herself out there, even though she was shy. "We can go somewhere quiet, if you w-want."

With that, we walked away together to find a more secluded place. There was no way in hell that I was having my first time with a Pokémon overseen by Hannah and the others. I pushed the thought of Julian being able to watch my performance anyway to the back of my mind. Surely, he would prefer looking at Katie's pleasured face more than my one, right? While we were strolling down the dirt pathway, Leilana reached up and grabbed at my hand with one of her fingerless, green appendages. I couldn't get over how adorable the Bellossom was, and I would be sure to compliment Katie on her choice of Pokémon once we returned to the lodge. The way that she wiggled her hidden hips as she walked next to me was extremely hypnotic.

She was quite tall for a Bellossom, as the vermillion petals of her flowers reached my waist. Leilana wasted no time in clarifying that fact as she giggled at the lengthy bulge that had been pushing against the confines of my sweatpants, ever since our fling had been confirmed. My erection was at the perfect level for her mouth. I shuddered as we came to a sudden stop beneath the shade of an apple tree, only to have her begin to fiddle with my loose waistband. It only took a split second of silence, but she was already trying to get me on the ground with my pants off. I wondered if she was trying to take the lead because I was still inexperienced.

Deciding to give the eager girl a hand, I slid them down to my thighs, and then allowed her to pull them the rest of the way. It felt overwhelmingly strange to be stripping outside like this, although the ranch was secluded enough that I wouldn't be charged with indecent exposure. Since I hadn't planned on getting laid today, I was wearing a pair of old, polka-dot boxers that had its fair share of holes and tears, but she didn't seem to mind. The Bellossom paused for a moment, unsure if she should touch them in the same way that she did my sweatpants. Before I could give her any more directions, she yanked them down without another thought. As my stiff cock nearly slapped her across the face, I did my best to hold back a startled yelp.

No sooner had my throbbing dick been exposed to the cool, outdoor air, than it was being vigorously handled by Leilana. She didn't exactly have hands, but nonetheless kneaded the ends of her arms into my shaft, coaxing out a bead of precum from the slit on my cockhead. Bending my knees slightly, I rubbed myself over her thick arms, consumed by the sight of my lewd manhood beside her cute, innocent face. Already, my thoughts were silenced by the Bellossom's skilled teasing, as everything else around me started to melt away into obscurity. Expecting the girl to be apprehensive, I was surprised that she could masterfully prod at me in all of the right ways, even focusing on my shaved base. She must have had lots of practice.

She gave me a shy smile, before bringing her green lips closer to my penis. Now, she had no issues with holding eye contact, as she stuck out her small, wet tongue. Slowly, she traced accurate circles across the swelling head of my cock, mischievously tickling at the underside. After teasing, she whirled her tongue across and lapped up the trickling precum over my slit. The feeling of her tongue poking against the opening made every muscle in my body twitch. Unable to withstand any more of the foreplay, I violently bucked my hips forward, trying to invade her warm mouth. Leilana let out another soft giggle as she complied with my demand, forming a moist seal around the tip of my cock. Gently, she took the first inch of me inside.

I had forgotten just how wonderful this sensation was. The inviting warmth inside of her tiny mouth set my veins on fire. As the grass type suckled gently on my cockhead, I had to chew on my bottom lip to silence a pleasured, overdue groan. Hopefully, I wouldn't have to wait a year just for a simple blowjob ever again, now that I was working at this paradise. A flurry of Leilana's moist breath was sent across my inner thighs as she stretched her mouth wide open, letting my shaft rest upon her tongue. Enamoured with the sight of her delicate maw, both of my hands grasped at the petals on either side of her head, and slowly pulled her further down. She didn't even reach the halfway mark, before I could feel myself pushing at the pulsating entrance to her throat. The size difference was a shame, but she tried her best to keep going.

Again, she looked at me with those innocent, sparkling eyes, even though they had started to water as she attempted to swallow my cock. The very moment that my weighty balls pressed against her chin, the Bellossom let out a muffled gag over my length and backed off slightly. It felt like I was starting to corrupt this timid grass type, as I desired nothing more than to turn her into a means to pleasure myself. A surge of despicable delight was sent through my cock, as the trembling girl who I had been introduced to only an hour ago was now worshiping me.

She started to bob her head with surprising speed, nearly knocking me off-balance as my pole rubbed against her curved, slippery tongue. The lip service that I received from those high school girls paled in comparison to Leilana. Swiftly putting them all to shame, she lifted her arms to fondle at my balls and massage the base of my cock. The eagerness with which she was willing to receive my selfish manhood belied her shy personality. My knuckles whitened as I gripped tightly onto her flowers, which made her squeal in pleasure. A wonderful ripple caressed against my shaft as she moaned. These petals on her head were her weak spot, then?

Almost as quickly as she had begun, she stopped. She sadly broke the seal around my cock, and sent strands of her saliva down onto the bleached grass below us. After wiping a milky dribble away from her chin, she concealed her arms under her skirt. Her blushing intensified as she finally looked away from me, her full body trembling with a frantic, revealing rhythm. It seemed like playing with the flowers on her head had caused the girl's arousal to overflow. The whole reason that she sought me out in the first place was so that she could feel good, so it was only fair of me to repay the favour. While I desperately wanted to look at what she was doing under her skirt, my body was starting to overheat. After taking the time to remove the rest of my clothes, I flashed my ass to the summer sun. The naturists were onto something.

Taking the initiative, I clutched at the Bellossom's other arm and brought us over to a bench. I couldn't help but think that Brandon had installed these things just for steamy moments like this, as it provided the perfect angle for easy fucking. As soon as we reached the metal seat, Leilana was climbing back over to my lap. Her eyes passed over my skinny, hairless form. Was someone actually attracted to my boyish appearance? I smirked as the ends of her skirt occasionally tickled at my thighs, and the fruity, tropical scent from earlier had only gotten more potent now that she was straddling my waist. It was making me feel drunk with lust.

"I'm so glad that you're a p-poképhile, Alex," she whispered, her face now inches away from my own. That casual affirmation was enough to convince me that I had chosen the right path. If Thomas hadn't bargained for these translators, I never would have heard those words. Leilana rested her own lips against mine. Her breath smelled wonderful. "Please, I want you."

Her whimpering, wanting voice stoked something from within my core. It was that strange, unfamiliar feeling of adrenaline that I had experienced when interrupting Katie and Julian, and from watching that porn video. Endless possibilities and fantasies flowed through me, and I felt emboldened enough to try them. This was a deep, primal urge that I had to satisfy. Even though I didn't want to unleash this new, impure Alex on the unsuspecting Bellossom, I couldn't keep him shackled down for even a second longer. Surrendering myself to the scent of sweat and love, my hands wrapped around Leilana's waist, and parted her bountiful skirt. Feeling like an intruder inside the Garden of Eden, my heart thundered with immoral ardour.

Her pussy was soaked. The grass type's juices were slowly trickling down her plump thighs, and looked to be the consistency of honey or syrup. Hopefully, it would make for a good enough lubricant, as I planned to ravish this little Bellossom until her hole would be oozing. My wicked smile made Leilana's breath catch in her throat. Having seen all that I needed to, I pulled her down so that my head was poking at her opening. She shuddered, and finally let out a shaky breath, filled with mint and hibiscus. A glob of her sap landed on my member, which prompted me to forcefully sink her down. Her surprised squeal trailed off into a moan.

She was incredibly tight, but somehow, I managed to burrow myself inside of her to the hilt. Her thick, flowery labia kissed at either side of my cock as her pussy clenched down harder. This was a thousand times better than a blowjob. The feeling of her warm, pillowy insides shifting around to accommodate my girth, constricting with every frantic beat of her heart, made me feel like I had achieved nirvana. Every man feverishly dreamed of this moment, and it was exactly as heavenly as I imagined it to be. I had to grit my teeth just to keep me from blowing my load before we had even started moving. Leilana let out a high-pitched whine as she wiggled her hips, basking in the feeling of being completely filled by my hard manhood.

While I had started to thrust away, her viscous, syrupy juices added a wonderful resistance that squeezed and pulled against my dick. Leilana's pussy squelched and bubbled as I rapidly churned the sap, causing it to leak out with every thrust, and harden against my slender belly. It felt like an ever-lasting glue that was trapping our bodies together. So long as I remained inside of her wet, milking cunt, I was content with that fate. To silence herself, the grass type leaned in close once again, and properly kissed me. Her fragrant tongue pushed its way past my gritted teeth, and wrestled my own tongue for dominance. She tasted just as good as she smelled, as notes of every fruit and flower on this planet overloaded each one of my senses.

The flavour of her mouth spurred me to thrust with reckless abandon. Her small, lightweight body was thrown around as I ravaged her insides, spraying pools of sap across the hot bench. The sounds of my thighs slapping against her ass were muffled by the hula girl's grassy skirt, which I wasn't exactly pleased with. As one hand flicked at the Bellossom's swollen clitoris, the other lifted up the rest of her skirt, so all of the wonderful sounds echoed into the ranch. As I repeatedly pressed at Leilana's button, I could have sworn that the air around us was tinged with a pink mist, like a physical manifestation of my unbound lust. My body started to feel more and more unreachable, as I dissociated with the hula girl writhing in my sticky lap.

Likely because it was my first home-run, I felt a sudden, hot flash of desire and electricity from somewhere unknowable, and I knew that I was reaching my limit. I didn't want to break away from the fruity kiss we were sharing, so as I was preparing to cum, my teeth submerged into the Bellossom's smooth lips. Relinquishing my muscles to the throes of orgasm, I tried to keep stimulating Leilana as my thrusts grew less controlled. She shivered with appreciation and wrapped her arms tightly around my back, as I buried my dick inside her for the last time.

The inner walls of her vagina pulsated, getting ready to receive my ropes of semen. I could feel an explosion of her sap-like juices flood across my aching balls, and slide down my legs. Listening to the guttural sounds of her honey splashing all over my body was enough to send me over the edge. While the Bellossom completely lost herself, her pussy graciously accepted the load of cum that I was plunging into her. Finally ripping herself away from the kiss, she let out a string of unintelligible moans and words as she raised her arms to fondle her flowers. The view of a Pokémon receiving so much pleasure from me burned itself deep into my head. Overcome with self-acceptance, I pulled Leilana even closer to me, holding her in a gracious embrace as we rode out the rest of our highs together. Poképhilia was natural and beautiful.

We sat like that for a while. She didn't say another word, but just hugged me tightly, as my penis soon softened. Virile seed oozed out of her stretched opening, mixing with the cloying honey that we were both slathered in. I just hoped that the delectable scent wouldn't attract any curious ranch residents, or else I would be making a memorable first impression on them. Despite this fear, I could have stayed entwined with Leilana forever. The afterglow of such an orgasm always felt more comfortable if it was shared. Euphorically, I caressed her cheek. However, this peaceful moment was soon interrupted by a slight buzzing inside my ears, one that I knew wasn't connected to the translator. My eyes closed in silent, withheld frustration.

" _Alex, that whole 'baby steps' thing is really coming back to bite you in the ass, isn't it?"_

Begrudgingly, I searched around for the source of the ethereal, kingly voice. Couldn't he just leave me alone for… like, five minutes? It didn't take long to find Julian standing still on the dirt pathway with a huge, excited grin on his face. Everyone else stood alongside him, and they all had proud expressions, like they were watching their child's graduation or something. My exhausted body was too spent to react to their presence, even though panicked signals were firing off and telling me to cover my junk, at least. Although, I had seen Katie naked, and Hannah in nothing but lingerie, so this must have been my retribution for ogling them. The real concern was just how long they had been watching us. Since I had been enamoured with Leilana's pussy, they could have been counting my thrusts. Had they seen my cum face?

"Lei's Sweet Scent let us know where you were," Katie laughed, blades of grass tangled up in her messy, strawberry-blonde hair. Her fluffy sweater had been thrown on totally backwards, and the huge, bronze button on her jean-shorts was still hanging loose. "She can't help but release it whenever she's close to cumming, so we all finished up and hurried over to see."

"Are you really that interested in my sexual endeavours?" I murmured, cradling Katie's timid Pokémon like she was my own. Leilana's sweaty face had turned red at all of the attention, and she quickly patted down her skirt to hide her shame. Apparently, everyone could stare here all that they liked, since this was a workplace where boundaries didn't matter anymore.

"Since it was your first time with a Pokémon, we thought it was necessary to see what you were made of," Brandon said, flashing me a lazy smile. For the first time, I saw a glint of something that wasn't cordiality or kindness in his eyes. The muscled giant had decided not to put his shirt back on, as he had slung it over his shoulder. The straps of his dungarees were dangling by his wide, bulky waist. "Although, it was mostly Hannah's idea to watch you…"

"I'm rather impressed with how you long you lasted, rockstar," Hannah complimented, though it was hard to understand her through the lollipop in her mouth. She had been eating one when she had sauntered out of the bedroom with that Grovyle, too. It seemed like a weird habit to crave sugar on a stick after getting off. I wondered where the girl kept her supply.

"Maybe we should've warned you about how messy Pokémon can be," Katie said, peering at all of the sap that had been encrusted into the bench. She tried to beckon her Bellossom to return by her side, but Leilana wouldn't move. She was too frightened to dismount from me. "Grass types are infamous for their fluids, but it's not like that's written in books anywhere."

"By the way, since I'm the only vaguely responsible one here, I'd like to remind you that our break ended about ten, sweaty minutes ago," Julian noted, clearly not too annoyed that the tail-end of his break was spent rolling across the grass. At least he tried to keep us on track. "Alex, feel free to use the shower in the lodge, since I doubt you'd want to continue working while covered in Leilana's pussy juice. Just don't leave it in a mess, or Hannah will kill you."

"Damn right," the pink-haired girl added, mimicking a harsh slice across her throat with one of her tattooed thumbs. The gesture was mostly a joke, but I sensed some truth behind it all. "If I come back to find sap on my rugs, your job security will be the least of your worries."

After that terrifying proclamation, I bundled up my clothes and hurried back to the lodge to clean myself up. As much as I wished it wasn't the case, we still had to keep up the outward appearance of people who didn't have sex with Pokémon. The world would be a much better place if we could all just keep working while half-dressed. Leilana gave my leg a shy hug, as Katie returned her to the Great Ball. She had been the first Pokémon aside from the Swablu that I felt a connection with, so hopefully we could spend more time together at another day. All things considered, my first experience with poképhilia had been healthy and encouraging, which was in part thanks to everyone here. This ranch was a good outlet for my new feelings.

* * *

Feeling refreshed after my cautious shower, I decided to go on a walk around the outskirts of the ranch after everyone had went off to work. Now that I had managed to shackle away the deviant, horny Alex back into the dark recesses of my mind, I could return to my role here. Although, to be honest, I wasn't exactly sure how I would start interviewing and forging all of these relationships with the ranch Pokémon. Thomas really should have given me some background info on the residents here. How many lived here? Who were the troublemakers? While I asked myself these questions, another one popped into my head. Was I still a virgin?

The semantics of that were iffy at best, and just plain confusing at worst. When analysing what I had just done to Katie's Bellossom, it was obvious that it was a successful encounter. However, the sex wasn't with a member of my own species, so the jury was still out on that particular verdict. Then again, I was the one that had been advocating for the equal treatment of Pokémon across every area, so maybe I had popped my cherry. I decided to just split the problem logically, and accept that I had lost my poképhile virginity. The humour that I had explored a massive kink without yet managing to bed an actual human was not lost on me. Also, I thought that I would perhaps feel different after casting away the weight of virginity, but nothing had really changed. Maybe my mindset would shift after I had lost both of them.

"Lost in thought, Alex?"

Apparently, yes. I hadn't even noticed that I had ran into Katie and Julian, as I found her standing right there, our shoes nearly touching. Her face was mildly twisted in concern. Whenever I descended into philosophising, my eyes often focused onto the ground, so I probably would have slammed right into her if she hadn't spotted me first. The Gallade was back to his stoic, emotionless persona that he must have adopted whenever he was working. He was carrying a large, Tupperware box that was labelled with 'treats for water types only, just one per day!' in messy handwriting. It matched the sign out front. Brandon's, maybe?

"I've just been thinking about what I did with Leilana," I admitted, feeling kind of guilty that I didn't consult Katie on whether I was allowed to take her or not. Julian may have given me permission, but it wasn't like he was the trainer. The Bellossom was one of her beloved team members as well, not just one of the ranch residents. I nearly tarnished one of her belongings.

"She said that it was the best time she's had in a while," she laughed, showing a reassuring smile that put my anxious worries at ease. Since she was out in the sun, I was suddenly struck by Katie's features. Her face was dotted with tiny freckles. They were even peppered across her forehead and the bridge of her nose. I also had no idea how she could work in this heat with a woollen sweater on, but it probably had to do with her missing a layer beneath that.

"He feels guilty about not asking you first," Julian clarified. He just loved to get straight to the point sometimes, which was useful in a place like this. The Gallade was better at dealing with my own stupid thoughts and feelings than I was. "Very guilty, actually. Pretty weird."

"Awww, Alex…" she cooed, suddenly pulling me into a rib-crushing hug. Stunned, I could do nothing else but weakly return the favour and wrap my arms around her lovely sweater. The hug seemed a little out of nowhere, but she was probably the type of person that gave them out for the most trivial things. She still smelled faintly of grass. "It's not a problem. There's kind of an unofficial rule around here that everyone is fair game if they're up for it."

"So, it's sort of like an open relationship?" I asked, managing to hide my scepticism. Just from a psychologist's point of view, polyamory was filled with a lot of hardship and pitfalls. When dealing with multiple partners, communication and honesty was vital, to curb feelings of jealousy and establish boundaries. Across their entire teams, that was a lot to account for.

"Sexually speaking, yeah," she confirmed, breaking off the hug with a final squeeze, letting air flow back into my crushed lungs. "Romantically, it's a bit more complicated than that. Nobody is getting more of my affection than Julian is, and I'm sure that it's the same way with Brandon and Indra. We've been together the longest, so it's natural that we're partners."

"That's not to say Indra is off limits in terms of mindless sex, but if you start getting all lovey-dovey with him, that's when Brandon would come over and kick your face in," Julian warned, and the serious tone accompanying his words assured me that Brandon would go to those lengths to protect his starter, no matter how gentle he seemed to appear on the surface. "Orgies are generally where starter-swapping is the most encouraged, just so everyone can keep an eye on things. Of course, with the ranch residents, all of those boundaries disappear."

This was all happening so suddenly. Against my better judgement, I had been dragged into this world of depravity nearly by happenstance. The others were experts at how to handle this alternate lifestyle in a safe and sensible way, but I was still a novice, fumbling my way across the stormy sea of poképhilia. It made me wonder just how long they had been doing this with their Pokémon, since it sounded like they had matured together. Did most teenage trainers use starters as an outlet for their sexual feelings, even if they would never, ever admit to doing it?

" _She doesn't like me saying this out loud, so your mind will have to do. Katie threw herself on me as soon as she hit puberty. Maybe you could write a paper on it, Mr. Psychologist?"_

"You're a good addition to our little group, Alex. I've known Brandon and Hannah for ages, so you might be a bit overwhelmed by our… closeness. But, I'm sure that it'll turn out to be same with you. I can tell that you're just like all of us. What you need now is to catch some-"

Before Katie could continue her heartfelt gushing, we were interrupted by a strange, piercing howl that came from somewhere off in the distance, muffled by the rolling hills and ridges. Such a sound was so out of place amongst the other harmless cries of Pokémon play-fighting that it made my blood run cold. Even with my inexperience, I could tell that it was a declaration of terror and injury. Katie paused, at first with confusion, but then with anxiety. Julian's posture tightened, as the cobalt signs of telepathy didn't fade. The swordsman was the first to react, as he took off running towards the western fences, beckoning us to follow.

We both started sprinting after the Gallade without a second thought, trusting his supernatural intuition more than the dread trying to keep us away. I was frightened that one of the ranch inhabitants was in danger, mostly because I had stopped the two from going in that direction. If we hadn't stopped to chat, then maybe they could have prevented whatever had happened. Neither of us could keep up with Julian for very long. He was travelling at such a speed that it looked like he was running on the air itself. His arm blades were extended, and splayed out behind him, whistling as they sliced through the wind. Eventually, we clambered up the hill after him, only to stumble onto a dire situation. Katie gasped, desperately covering her lips.

The Lillipup that I had played around with on my first visit was sprawled across the grass. The fluffy canine had been rolled onto its side, and was yowling horrifically, unable to get back onto its four legs. The taller, thickest patches of grass had been speckled with blood, which had also clumped onto the normal type's beige fur. Standing over the puppy, was something that I had never expected to find in Hoenn. A Sneasel loomed over the defenceless creature, crystalline chunks of reddened ice frozen against one of its claws. It took me several seconds to process what I had been looking at. The dark type was dishevelled, and looked as if a tumbleweed had grown nails and teeth. It glared over at us, with a wild and thirsty gaze.

Before any of us could even blink, the Sneasel was sent careening backwards. It had been launched so high into the sky that I was unsure if it would ever fall back down to the ground. Julian was no longer standing in front of me, having been replaced with dissipating, pinkish orbs of light. The Gallade teleported back into view in front of the Lillipup like a protective soldier, and turned back to face us with a fierce and unwavering expression. He shook his outstretched hand that had just given the beast an uppercut, checking that it was still limber.

" _Katie. Alex. Don't come any closer. The Lillipup is not badly injured. I'll take care of this."_

As soon as Julian's voice had stopped projecting, the Sneasel landed with a sickening crunch. Enraged, the ice type shrugged off the uppercut, and dived towards the one who had issued the challenge. It unleashed an animalistic screech that sounded like nails on a chalkboard. The Sneasel had to be a wild Pokémon, since the translator wasn't able to convert its speech. Julian dodged its aggressive attack with ease, his posture still locked into a defensive riposte. Without any hesitation, he lurched after the Sneasel, grasping at the overgrown fur on the back of its neck, and pulling it towards him before it could gain any more valuable distance.

Somehow, the Sneasel had anticipated this tactic, and managed to whirl around just in time. The beast had already prepared an icy blast, as sharp, translucent fragments swirled from its fangs amidst a dense mist. The icicles struck Julian directly in the face. My knowledge of battling techniques was intentionally underdeveloped, but that looked to be an Ice Shard. Grotesquely, the serrated edges of frozen water impaled their way into the Gallade's facial visor, causing him to yell and swear in pain. His grasp on the Sneasel loosened, as he tried to pry the frozen knives out of his green helmet. Trickles of blood raced each other to his neck.

"That Sneasel's too fast for him!" Katie cried, eyes wide in panic. She ignored the wishes of her boyfriend, and took a few, frantic steps forward. The pain on her face matched that of Julian's, like they were connected with an inseparable bond. "He's at a disadvantage here!"

Julian twisted his remaining arm around, throwing the ice type onto the ground once again. Blinded by hatred, his emotionless face morphed into one of malice, as his arm blades began to glow with a murky, red energy. Stamping onto the Sneasel's chest before it could escape, he let loose a rampant flurry of slashes. The attacks were so powerful that they sent gusts of wind in all directions, dicing the grass and flinging up clods of the dry earth underneath. Guessing that it was Close Combat, I watched as the Gallade's shoulders sunk with exertion.

The Sneasel was bleeding profusely from several gashes on its body, but even after being hit with a super-effective move, it still didn't concede. Julian was left open by his risky attack, and the Sneasel's lengthy nails hardened after being coated with a metallic, silver sheen. Metal Claw. His observant eyes noticed the change just in time, and he teleported a short distance away before the Sneasel could slash and sever the delicate veins around his neck. This left the demonic intruder confused and upset, as it searched around for the swordsman, who had started to breathe heavily. I assumed that he had wanted to teleport even further, but didn't have the energy after such a draining attack. The untiring Sneasel soon sped after him.

They repeated the same movements for a while. The Sneasel would approach Julian, who would then warp away at the last moment. The beast didn't seem to understand how the psychic type was evading each time, as it grew more ravenous after every masterful dodge. Even though I was impressed with Julian's manoeuvrability, I could already tell that there was no way he could keep teleporting in his injured state. The Sneasel must have noticed that the timing of his disappearances were getting shorter, as the Gallade struggled to stay upright.

Distraught, Katie was calling after Julian to no avail. She wouldn't dare step any closer to the fight, but the fact that she was powerless to help her boyfriend had to be tearing her up inside. She had left her purse containing all of the Pokéballs back at the lodge, so she couldn't have called upon Keaton, or even Leilana, for assistance. All she could do was act like a trainer, and shout out orders and recommendations. This reminded me that Julian was a Pokémon.

While watching the Gallade that I had grown to equally admire and despise struggle in a battle, something unidentifiable started to bubble up within me. I began to shake, but not with fear or nervousness. Julian had been a unique presence in my mind, always making snide comments, but also providing advice when it was most meaningful. He didn't have to do any of those things for my sake, but he went ahead and inconvenienced himself for me anyway. Even though he acted like he didn't care… I knew that he did. It was my turn to help him out.

My legs moved on their own. I could hear Katie screaming after me, but I didn't understand anything that she was saying. My heartbeat was loud in my ears, and the air stung at my underused lungs, but I kept running. I knew that the adrenaline was the only thing pushing me forwards, since I was also screaming at myself to turn back before the Sneasel murdered me. Apparently, my body had other plans, aside from just crying in the face of inevitable danger.

"Hey, Sneasel!" I bawled, as loud as I possibly could, to get the bastard's attention. I just needed to create a short opening for Julian. He was fighting a battle of speed and evasion that he couldn't win, so he had to be looking for an opportunity to catch the ice type by surprise. While it pained me to admit it, I would be that opportunity for him, by risking my own life.

Julian's look of shock as he noticed me only flashed across his face for a second, but was then replaced by an expression of stoic resolve. On the other hand, the Sneasel took the bait and focused its attention on me. From many childhood warnings, I knew that a desperate, wild Pokémon had no quarrels about attacking a human. But, I was counting on Julian to do what he always did, and come through for me. I just had to stand my ground for long enough.

" _You're a fucking idiot."_

There was no time to provide a witty reply to his projection, as the Sneasel was readying another Metal Claw and aiming right for my jugular. It felt like both of my knees were about to buckle, or I was close to wetting myself from sheer terror, but I didn't move an inch now. The fight, freeze or flight response was something that I had learned about in my psychology classes, but I had never expected to encounter it in my boring life. Would the foolish decision to endanger myself for some Pokémon I had only known for a day come to be my final one?

Everything played in quiet slow-motion. The Sneasel hurtled forwards like a cannonball, with its fangs bared and claws ready to rend my skin apart. Being so close to the inside of its mouth made me realise just how defenceless humans were against most species of Pokémon. They could kill all of us, if they wanted to. That morbid thought was indicative of my fate. Julian's body was blurred on the horizon, as he became veiled in a valiant cloak of pink light.

" _I'll pay you back for this. Somehow."_

He teleported right in front of me, striking me with one of the dull edges of his blades to knock me backwards onto my ass. I grunted in pain as the breath was struck out of me, but watched as he readied an attack I couldn't identify. The protrusions on his elbow were aglow with a royal, silver aura, which was so bright that it hurt my eyes to admire them directly. Julian really did look like a knight. The Sneasel hadn't realised that its target was no longer human, as it had been too consumed with bloodlust and the desire to end a cowering target.

"Aerial Ace!" Julian yelled, his booming decree sending a flock of Taillow soaring out from the trees behind the damaged fence. His viridian blade connected cleanly with the Sneasel's jaw, and before the impact finished, he had already swung his other arm. After slicing the unlucky ice type in the waist, there was a short yelp of pain as it was shot across the fields. The Sneasel tumbled through the grass, until it lay motionless a fair distance away from us. For a second, I thought it was trying to get back up, but all it could muster was a weak twitch.

As soon as all of the commotion died down and the adrenaline had drained out of my veins, I was blindsided by a twinge of light-headedness. My tongue grew heavy in my mouth, as both of my arms dropped uselessly to my side. The ranch started to swirl and spin around me, until it seemed as if the sky had crashed down and caused an earthquake. I could barely make out the figures of Julian and Katie kneeling over me. The bloodied swordsman waved a careful hand in front of my eyes. Everything was silent. My weightless fingers wrapped around the blades of grass I found myself entangled within. Wisps of inky darkness crept into my vision.

The Sneasel hadn't managed to kill me, had it? Amidst the confusing scene of my two friends attempting to resuscitate me, I felt prideful of my actions. The last thing that I remembered was my lips curving into a faint smile. Soon enough, my eyelids were as heavy as sandbags.

And then there was nothing but black.


	5. Wren

" _C'mon Alex, you can't stay asleep forever… you've still got work to do, buddy."_

Julian's regal voice echoed through my skull, encouraging me to fight against the darkness. After heading towards a faint source of light, my eyes shot open in alarm, only to be greeted with a dusty, wooden ceiling. I found myself lying uncomfortably on the couch in the lodge, since everything here seemed to revolve around it. A horrible wave of nausea washed over me as I tried to dislodge my pounding head from one of the armrests. My fragile neck pulsed with a debilitating cramp that caused me to crumple back onto the pillows with a sad whine. The relief of being unharmed was overshadowed by this suffering. I felt like absolute shit.

More importantly, Julian was next to me. He had dragged one of the flimsy chairs out of the kitchen, and was swaddled in a white, blood-stained blanket. A generous amount of Hannah's bandages had been wrapped around his visor, which had barely staunched the flow of blood. His forehead was still wetted a dark crimson, and it looked as if his face and neck had been hastily wiped down to clean at the remnants. The ugly beginnings of bruises were speckled across both of his bladed, muscular arms. I felt guilty that I had complained about all of my subtle aches, since he had taken far more of a beating in that fight than I had first realised. Despite his exhaustion and injuries, his eyes were gentle and steadfast while he watched me come to my senses. Eventually, I managed to wriggle on the couch until I was upright again.

"How… long have I been passed out?" I asked, rubbing vigorously at my temples. I could already feel a migraine punching at the back of my eyes, and gladly accepted the painkillers that my robed saviour handed to me. The lukewarm water that I sipped at stung my throat on its way down, but it was still better than taking them dry. A lot of supplies had been cutely laid out onto the table for when I woke up, and I wondered who was responsible. Brandon?

"Only about an hour or so," he answered croakily. His posture was tired and relaxed, which I had never seen from the swordsman before. His legs were casually spread apart, and he was leaning an elbow-blade on the frame of the chair. That was much different than the Gallade who stood like he had a stick up his ass. "Everyone else went back to work once I said that I would stay here with you. You're going to be getting a speech from each of them about how stupid you were back there, so prepare yourself for that. Hannah seemed particularly upset."

"Let me guess – I'm getting one from you as well," I winced, not too pleased that I had made Hannah worry about me when her job was stressful enough already. Vague images of what I had done an hour previously started to come back. Every time that I blinked, I could see the ravenous look in the Sneasel's eyes imprinted on my eyelids. I doubted that the scene would leave my conscience any time soon. Staring death itself right in the face had left me rattled.

"Well, things might have gone much differently if you hadn't intervened, so I can't really be too angry with you," he replied with a pained scowl, his gaze dropping to the wooden floor below him. His bare, white foot tapped nervously at a loose floorboard. "I should have been able to win that fight easily, but working here doesn't give many opportunities for practice. Back when we used to travel, I could fight fifty Pokémon each day. Now? I get my ass kicked by a random Sneasel. Thing didn't even seem experienced, either. I was just overconfident."

"You were at a type disadvantage, but you were still brave enough to protect that Lillipup before Katie or I could say any differently," I reminded, placing a trembling hand on his lithe, wounded shoulder. It hurt to see such a defeated look on the Gallade's face, when I was so used to seeing him with a wry smirk, or no expression at all. "She must be glad to have you by her side. In fact, the whole ranch must be thankful that you're here to protect everyone."

He looked back up at me with a fake smile. For the first time, I was beginning to understand what the elusive psychic type was all about. He had exceptional skill, from his time spent exploring Hoenn with Katie, but that also came at the cost of being harsh on himself when he couldn't live up to his expectations. Psychic Pokémon were often hyper-competent, but that also came with its weaknesses, like an inflated sense of self-importance. He didn't want anyone else here to feel burdened, so he fought to carry everything on his own two shoulders. While the ability to read everyone's minds was insanely useful, maybe it left him paranoid.

"Usually, I'm the one analysing people. It feels weird to be on the other end of it for once."

"Am I wrong, though?" I asked carefully, not wanting to cause the Gallade any more stress. He was already being too hard on himself about what had happened, so he didn't need me trying to figure out his flaws and bringing attention to them. He was smart enough to know.

"No, most of that was correct, Mr. Psychologist," he said, nodding slowly in acceptance. "Things worked out in the end, and that's all that really matters. It would have gone much better if my psychic abilities could affect that Sneasel, since I could read his mind and act accordingly, but that wasn't an option. Dark types are the bane of us psychics, unfortunately."

"I've been wondering about how far your abilities go," I mused, realising that I had never given his supernatural skills much thought. The Gallade's intrusion on my masturbation session had kickstarted this whole series of events, so I found it appropriate to return there.

"Sadly, I can't hypnotise other people and make them my mind slaves, if that's what you're worried about," he laughed, looking grateful that I was able to put a proper grin on his face. "Let's see… I would always explain it to Katie like reading a book as it was being written by someone else. I'm able to see the events in the present, as they're happening, and I can also flip backwards in the book to read about a person's history. But, try as I might, I can never influence the outcome of the book, so I can't look at what the next chapter of someone's life will be until it has been written by them. Sounds kind of like bullshit, but I swear it's true."

"So, you're like a bystander in the head of someone else. Not able to interact with it, aside from, like… projecting your voice, I guess?" I pondered, my mind still a little foggy from just waking up, along with the trauma from nearly dying. It was fascinating that the living being next to me possessed such an amazing ability, and Julian seemed to be especially well-trained with inhabiting the headspaces of other people. Katie had said as much in his introduction. My head must have been particularly comfortable, since he was in there more often than not.

"Yeah, pretty much," he confirmed, wrapping himself tighter in the blanket. "Most psychics can only do this in short bursts, and they have to be physically close with the person to read their histories or look through their eyes. There's a lot of interference across great distances."

"How about when I was… uh, pleasuring myself last night?" I asked, trying with all of my might to keep looking into his eyes. I had learned that being direct with Julian was important, and he seemed to appreciate my courage. "You seemed to know exactly what I was doing, even though we were nowhere near each other. Please, don't tell me you're that powerful."

"I've never been able to explain this very well, but my species has an inherent proclivity for sensing the emotions of others. My psychic abilities do weaken after a certain distance, but this skill that my evolution line possesses is more special. Once we have acquainted ourselves with someone, we can often choose to feel the emotions that they feel… whenever we wish."

From all of my nerdy pouring over Pokémon textbooks, I was aware that his species were especially good at understanding the emotional stability of other people. They had often been employed alongside counsellors and therapists, which had sparked talks of Pokémon rights. However, hearing it right from the mouth of a Gallade, it sounded like it went beyond simple understanding of emotions. It was like an extreme form of empathy. Apparently, a Gardevoir would be even more skilled at using this ability than a Gallade. It was frightening to think that there was someone out there who had a greater grasp on emotions than even Julian did.

"So, you couldn't see what I was doing, but you could feel what I was feeling?" I clarified, experiencing a lesser amount of shame to learn that he that he hadn't watched me beat my meat in a furious, drunken stupor. All that was left was him discovering me with Leilana.

"Exactly. I felt the rush of neurochemicals like serotonin and oxytocin when you ejaculated, and then the less scientific emotion of guilt soon after. Didn't take a genius to work it out."

"That's fucking crazy," I whispered, watching the prideful smile that Julian adopted after seeing my amazement. My hunch was right. Psychic types loved getting their egos stroked. "You basically guessed that I had jacked off to poképhilia. What if you had been wrong?"

"I'm never wrong," he smirked. "Once I had projected my hilarious comment before you went off to sleep, it confirmed my suspicions. After that, I told Katie, and the rest is history."

I was extremely thankful that a guy like this was on my side now. Anyone who crossed Julian or made an enemy of him would instantly regret it once he wormed his way inside their mind. He could mentally toy with whoever he wanted, and they wouldn't be able to stop it, unless they were a dark type Pokémon. He would be also be able to sense their emotions, and know exactly what type of teasing would elicit the best reaction, adding a sadistic twist to his game.

"Okay, moving onto more pressing matters. Thomas wanted me to give you this," Julian said, picking up a miniaturised Pokéball that had been hidden inside the plastic bucket of bandages and painkillers. It was kind of ironic to see a Pokémon handle a machine that was used for capturing other Pokémon, but my amusement was quickly dampened by the tension in the air.

"Why?" I wondered. It wasn't like I had expressed any specific interest in catching my own Pokémon to the businessman. Not yet, at least. Maybe in a couple weeks. "What's inside it?"

Julian's face changed. It looked like he was gritting his teeth in anger, and his grip was so tight on the Pokéball that his green knuckles were turning white. He probably could have shattered it into a million, tiny pieces with his strength. His eyes flashed with the same rage and malice I had seen earlier, before he took a meditative breath to compose his emotions.

"It's the Sneasel from earlier," he spat, looking at the metallic sphere with so much disdain that I thought it was going to be set aflame. "I have no idea what Thomas is thinking with this stupid plan, but he wants you to try and talk with the Sneasel to see if it had a good reason for attacking the ranch. He swaggered in, like he always does, and caught it despite my protests."

Despite all of our previous interactions, I doubted that Julian was joking. His disgusted sneer told me that this was serious, and it did sound like a suitably insane idea to be from Thomas. No other person would try to understand a wild Pokémon that had just tried to mutilate a cute, defenceless Lillipup in broad daylight. Not only that, he was also putting a dangerous beast in the hands of the least experienced employee of the business. Maybe this was his fucked-up method to see whether I was worth keeping around or not. His reasons were always obtuse.

"He said that if you could handle this Sneasel, then you could handle anything else here," Julian grumbled, clearly outraged that his boss was giving the demonic intruder a chance after what he had just tried to do. Every time he glanced down at the ball, he would shake. "He spouted a bunch of shit about how every Pokémon should be given a chance, even if they're clearly a worthless waste of a soul. He insisted that you would understand his logic."

"It's alright, Julian. I get where he's coming from," I said, raising both of my hands up with an instinctive desire to stop him from doing anything rash. I wouldn't put it past the angry Gallade to open up that Pokéball and slice the Sneasel in half. "You don't have to worry about any of this, since I'm going to take care of it. Are you sure that you're feeling okay?"

"It'll take way more than a few cuts and bruises to bring me down. Feel free to call me if this fuck gives you any trouble," he promised, tossing the cold Pokéball into my muddied hands. He already looked glad to get it out of his grasp. "Better go and help Katie with the rounds."

"Thanks for staying with me," I smiled, feeling that familiar flush of warmth flood into my embarrassed face. I had always struggled with showing my gratitude, but he deserved this.

His sour expression immediately sweetened when he looked into my eyes. The shimmering, rose-coloured pools surrounding his pupils always gave his glances such an alluring intensity. The Gallade shifted awkwardly in his chair with such force that I thought he was going to fall right out of it, and crash into the floor. Julian was trying so hard to keep up the appearance of a serious, composed fighter, but even receiving a simple thanks made him squirm and sweat. Was all of the attention making him uncomfortable, or was he enjoying it a little too much? Either way, it was cute. Recovering coolly, he averted his lasting gaze and cleared his throat.

"Uh… yeah. It was my fault that you ended up like that, so y'know…"

Before I could even offer a joking reply, the Gallade was enveloped a flash of pink light, and had disappeared from the chair. Lingering spheres of energy danced around in the shape of his silhouette, and the blanket that he had forgotten collapsed into a useless pile at my feet. Many people would kill for Julian's ability to teleport, since it always gave him a convenient escape from situations he found undesirable. His hasty retreat left me alone in the lodge, and I started to think about how I was going to interact with this Sneasel. Thinking back to my days spent in high school, I tried to remember some lectures that we had been given on dark types.

Most dark types were just born evil. There was no other eloquent way to put it. Obviously, this didn't apply to every species, but it was a pervasive theme running through the category. A majority of them had evolved to be crafty, mischevious and lacking in remorse for things that they did. Because of this, they were the most common example of Pokémon attacking humans for no other reason than enjoyment. Suffering seemed to fuel all of their decisions. Dark types who had been raised by breeders or trained properly often lost this cruel streak, but they would still be tricksters or manipulators who used their intelligence to wreak havoc. Sentience and ruthlessness was a potent combination to have, so dark types were highly valued in underground battling rings, where they could unleash their full, violent potential.

More specifically, Sneasels were infamous for stealing and consuming any Pokémon eggs that they came across. I thanked Arceus that the ranch intruder hadn't found its way to the incubation shed, as Hannah standing over a pile of bloody eggshells was an image that I didn't ever want to think about again. Breeders in other regions would call them a scourge, and actively rewarded trainers and rangers for their capture. However, it was rare to see one openly attack live prey with so many witnesses around. They would often wait until nests were empty, and were opportunistic scavengers. Something had to be making this Sneasel desperate for food. I guessed that it had to do with the fact their species weren't native here.

Reinforcing my theory, they were also notorious pack fighters. In Johto, it wasn't uncommon to see travelling gangs of Sneasels that used their numbers to overwhelm all of their targets. Since this one had been apprehended by itself, it definitely meant that there wasn't some hidden community of them in the forests around here. The prevailing explanation for its appearance was that it had been brought over here by a trainer, and had been abandoned. Damn – I would be dealing with quite the damaged Pokémon if that really was the case here. Although, maybe it wouldn't be totally unreasonable, if it had been purchased from a breeder. If the Sneasel had been wild for its entire life, there wouldn't be much that I could do to help.

That was about as far my textbook knowledge took me. The rest I would have to discover by somehow interviewing the Pokémon that had almost taken my life. Since Thomas had caught the Sneasel successfully, it meant that it wouldn't be able to harm whoever was in possession of its Pokéball. That was an entirely separate ethical debate, but I was thankful that I could safely have a conversation with this intruder without being carved up into fleshy ribbons. Julian believed that the businessman had made the wrong decision, but his anger had to be clouding his judgement somewhat. We should resolve things pacifistically where possible.

Consumed by these thoughts, I sat with the Pokéball in my hands for what felt like hours. With zero hours of work experience under my belt, I wasn't prepared to deal with this level of conflict, especially since this Sneasel would have some choice words for me and Julian. The possible outcomes of our encounter played through in my head countless times as I tried to think of the best way to approach this. The dry lump in my throat reminded me of when I had been forced to give a presentation to my classmates back at school. That hot sensation of shame and nervousness made me feel like I was twelve again. But… this was the real world.

Grow a pair, Alex. Thomas left this Sneasel with you for a reason. Psychological care is why you're being employed at the ranch in the first place. What's the point of getting to stay here if you're not gonna do the job that he's paying you for? Swallow down your fear and anxiety like you've done countless times and go outside. Julian is always just a mental breakdown away to come and rescue you from social interaction. There's no reason to panic. You're fine.

* * *

"Unhand me, you wretch! You have no right to lay your squalid hands on me!"

Okay… I wasn't fine. As soon as I had released the Sneasel from its new Pokéball, I received a barrage of archaic insults that I never would have anticipated. It would have been humorous if I didn't have the shabby Sneasel in a panicked headlock. I had thought the feral beast would have snarled and spat at me, rather than using such old-fashioned, fancy language. I had never even heard the word 'wretch' uttered by a human, let alone a Pokémon. His voice was dripping with precise venom, as he placed the perfect intonation on every word that fired across his barbed tongue. I had no clue how he had learned to speak in such a forgotten way.

We were standing inside the battling arena in the garden, and I had foolishly tried to grab the Sneasel as soon as he looked ready to dash towards the trees. The feeling of his frigid fur on my skin instantly made me want to release him. He was squirming under my arms, slinging a flurry of profound insults at me, like he was the star in a dramatic Shakespeare production. However, despite all of his protests, his claws never found their way to any of my bare veins.

"How dare you imprison me in one of those irksome contraptions! You deserve to be… to be… dispossessed! Tarred and feathered! Thrown to a pack of Mightyena!" he roared, finally wriggling free from my weakened grasp. His overgrown, furry body had numbed my skin to the point where I couldn't feel my own arms. I shivered intensely, both at the temperature, and at the Sneasel's intimidations. He couldn't hurt me, but I could still feel his dark intent.

As he grimaced in front of me, I finally got a good look at the little devil. His dark-navy body was still fresh with lacerations from Julian's attack, and the red feather that protruded from his head was nearly frayed to shreds. It dangled dangerously in front of his eyeline, ready to snap away if he ever waved a claw over his face. The tangled mess of his coat was covered in muck and dead leaves, and even what looked to be a pinecone. The amber, oval jewels on his chest and forehead were dull and muted, like forgotten treasures trapped amongst dirt. His bloodshot eyes were wild with rage as he glared at me. He reminded me of Katie's scary Zangoose, but this Pokémon lacked the scars to prove his dominance. His weight seemed to be stunted, and he was dangerously slim. Maybe he had been the unfortunate runt of his litter.

"Hey! Be quiet, or I'll put you back in there!" I yelled, thinking that I would get nowhere by gently talking with this eccentric Sneasel. If he wasn't going to give me the courtesy, then he didn't deserve the Alex that would just roll over for people. "I wasn't the guy who captured you in the first place, so save all of those insults for him, okay? I'm just here to talk to you!"

"Hold your tongue, cur!" he snarled, finally baring his chipped fangs at me. They were yellowed beyond belief, and covered in a thick, maroon layer of grime. Unlike Leilana, his breath smelled quite horrible. "I would rather that asinine swordsman have ended my life, so that I would not have to endure this never-ending torment from another human such as you!"

"Another human?" I parroted, not letting myself buckle under his insults. The tiny Sneasel's bravado faltered at the realisation of the information he had just given away. "I've never seen a Sneasel such as yourself in Hoenn. Did you belong to someone? I can help you find them."

"I have no obligation to disclose anything with you," he declared, trying to brandish a claw in my face, even though it didn't reach further than my chest. His expression of anger subtly switched into something resembling regret, which I was quick to take notice of and utilise.

"You don't…" I began, struggling to make my voice as non-threatening as possible. I was quickly losing hope that the Sneasel would even give me the time of day, but I had no other option than to try and bait him into moving the conversation forward. "But, you don't have anyone else who's even willing to listen to your side of things, either. Do you have a name?"

"Previously, in another life, yes," he sneered. "Not much need for them when you're surrounded by brainless savages who can't distinguish their right paw from their left."

From that, it sounded like he didn't consider himself to be a wild Pokémon. He hadn't joined back into the natural world that he had came from, but rather viewed himself as one of the more cultured members of his infamously brutal species, stranded on an unfamiliar continent. Mostly likely, he had been attempting to survive on his own, but was getting more and more desperate for food. Depending on his upbringing and survival experience, it must have been difficult for him, being left in a region that he didn't know. Hoenn's icy sections were usually secluded by the ocean, as well. He had no other options but to fend for himself in the forests.

"Do you mind telling me what it was?" I asked, offering him a cordial smile. He seemed taken aback that I was showing an interest in his past. For a learned Pokémon, he must have been dying to find another soul to talk with. "It would help if I had something to call you."

"Wren," he muttered, looking almost ashamed of it. "That was the name given to me."

He was starting to calm down. His claws retracted down to their usual length, and his stance grew less aggressive. Every so often, he would shift warily from foot to foot, ready to pounce away if I stepped towards him again. This hesitance made him appear pitiful when compared to the fearsome predator that attacked the Lillipup earlier. I wasn't seeing a fierce, heartless Pokémon who broke into the ranch for their own sadistic pleasure, but a confused Sneasel who had been struck by misfortune. Who could blame him for trying to secure a good meal? As gruesome as it was, Pokémon battled and consumed each other all the time in the wild.

"Wren's a nice name," I complimented, noticing his displeasure as the name left my lips. Maybe it carried some unsavoury memories, but if he was willing to hold onto that name, it showed that he had still had some attachment to who he once was. "You can call me Alex."

"Do not think I will follow your orders after such patronisation," he scolded, but I could have sworn there was the beginnings of an honest smile hidden behind all of the angsty posturing.

"Alright, did you know that the Pokémon you attacked is under our care here?" I questioned, trying to balance a more accusatory tone with the polite one from earlier. No matter how you looked at the events of this afternoon, he was guilty of harming one of the ranch's residents. Lillipups were often a symbol of loyalty and innocence, so watching one get horribly injured had nearly broken my heart. I hoped that the little puppy was getting the best care available.

"This is an establishment that treats our kind as commodities to be traded, is it not?" he snapped back, with an accusation of his own. "I saw no harm or foul in seizing one of your livestock for my own benefit. After all, that creature would just be replaced in a heartbeat."

Okay, he was beginning to get on my nerves. While those places certainly existed across every region in the world, the whole reason that I had agreed to work here was that everyone cared for the Pokémon they were breeding. While the ranch could only stay afloat by offering precious offspring to the highest bidder, Thomas' insane business practices made it clear that profits weren't his only concern. The man had constructed a sprawling desert heated by huge generators, for Arceus' sake! It was obvious that he cared about the individual needs of the Pokémon who lived at this place, even if accommodating them all could be a total nightmare.

"Actually, no. While we do breed Pokémon and sell them to clients, the employees at this ranch care a great deal about them. The Lillipup that you attacked is being treated right now, because we are concerned about what happens to them. We provide a home to every species that is born here, even if they are not desired by anyone else. Each and every life is precious."

Wren's eyes tightened sceptically. Despite my social ineptitude, I could understand that the Sneasel was judging the honesty of my words. Since I was a new employee here, and didn't own any Pokémon whatsoever, there wasn't much evidence I could use to reinforce my point. If Brandon and Katie had joined me in this interrogation, they could send out all of their team members to show that we loved Pokémon. While thinking about my wonderful co-workers, I realised that I could prove my devotion to the suspicious Sneasel. Although, mentions of that event might cause him to shut down and never me speak to me again. I was willing to try it.

"Would I have risked my life to defend the Gallade if I didn't care about Pokémon?" I asked, looking him dead in the eyes so he couldn't dodge the question. His black, almond-shaped pupils widened with hostility, obscuring his blood-red irises. Eye contact was something that I hated, but I managed to power through the anxiety. "I'm not a trainer, but he's a friend, so I risked my life to make sure that he didn't lose that battle against you. Any thoughts on that?"

"That is exceedingly curious," Wren pondered, bringing a clawed hand to scratch at his chin like he was Sherlock Homes. I noticed that his jaw had started to swell, since it had taken most of the impact from Julian's Aerial Ace. "I have never encountered a human who has displayed such a willingness to sacrifice themselves for another. A foolish, incomprehensible decision."

"He doesn't even belong to me, but he's the soulmate of one of the employees here. His name is Julian, and we treat him like one of us," I explained, watching the Sneasel's face carefully. The sceptical look had settled down, but he was still eyeing me. I felt like a guilty prisoner trying to explain his innocence to a judge, which is really what Wren should have been doing. He was the one guilty of trespassing and injury, so why was I trying to prove my own case?

"Very well. You have shown that you are capable of compassion for our kind. I assume that you are going to exile me back into the forest, now that you have finished this interrogation?" he goaded, the sharp, unpleasant venom returning to his voice. At least we had a rational talk for a few minutes. That was more than I had first expected from the ranch's hopeless intruder.

"My compassion extends to you, as well," I sighed, getting somewhat sick of his attitude. Even if I did pity him, the way that he judged others rubbed me the wrong way. Maybe he had spent years in the wild, since that would lead to a total distrust of everyone but himself. "Now… I just have a last question for you. Tell me honestly – did you attack that Lillipup because you had no other choice? Because you were starving and desperate for some food?"

He recoiled slightly at the question, as if it had slapped him the face. If I had less self-control, I would have smirked at the success of cracking him. This Sneasel seemed to be mostly filled with hot air, even if he did do a number on Julian. He didn't strike me as the type of Pokémon who would actively seek conflict, due to his fragile stature and his desire to appear cultured. We had assumed that he was just a wild Pokémon, who was impossible to reason with, and Julian still held the belief that it was pointless to try. But, even in this short conversation, I was starting to see Wren as someone who had been dealt a bad hand, and was doing what he needed to out of necessity. Trained Pokémon would never revert back to eating their kind, unless that was the only option that they had left. Such a thing would leave mental scarring.

"A human like you will have no… idea how much I have suffered out in the wilds," Wren finally admitted, his chest beginning to heave as he allowed his bony shoulders to slacken. Now, he looked even more weak and malnourished. His ribcage protruded from his torso. The Sneasel that I had been looking at this whole time had been a carefully constructed ruse. "I attempted, for as long as I could, to prevent myself from devolving into a savage creature. For a time, hunting was unfeasible. I consumed roots and bark, even as they made me purge."

The floodgates had opened. Tears began to stream and crystallise from his eyes, and he blew out a snot bubble from his wet nose. What was once a Sneasel who had his chest puffed out, looking like he was prepared to vanquish any who opposed him, was now a shattered husk. Wren was shaking uncontrollably, like a Snorunt, as he fell onto his knees. He clutched at his neck as if he was choking, and looked up at me with pleading eyes. I remained entirely silent.

"You do not have… the faintest inkling of what it is like… to be h-hungry in such a manner," he spluttered. Even while he was emotionally breaking apart, he still tried to maintain the proper enunciation in every word. "I lost myself in the intense desire to feel satiated, and I was willing… to go through any length to satisfy the excruciating void inside my stomach."

My hunch had been correct, but I didn't feel any ounce of pride about that fact. This Sneasel must have went from a stable life, under the care of a trainer, before he was abandoned in an unfamiliar region. Hearing how he tried for so long to continue a diet that would have poisoned and killed a carnivore nearly brought me to tears. Despite how much bloodlust and recklessness he had displayed in the fight against Julian, it wasn't who Wren was deep inside. He was driven solely by the desire to eat, and had nearly spiralled into madness from hunger.

"Arceus… you still haven't eaten," I whispered, listening to the Sneasel openly wail into the dead grass, claws digging into the ground with a lachrymose intensity. He had been bottling up these unfair feelings for all this time, but even worse, he had been suffering through this hunger for the entire interrogation. No wonder he was so furious and reluctant to have a talk.

"Please, Alex…" Wren sobbed, curling up into a quivering sphere, clutching at his stomach. With each forceful exhale, the wails were fragmented between panicked rhythms of breathing that reminded me of my own anxious breakdowns. This Sneasel wasn't a danger to anyone now that he had admitted everything. "I do not wish to feel this way anymore… please…"

And so, trying not to break down amidst his pleading, I scooped up the incapacitated Wren and cradled him in my arms. He was too weakened and wracked with emotion to resist my grasp anymore, and while I could have returned him to the Pokéball, I felt that would have been heartless and cruel. He was lightweight. Frighteningly so. Shards of his frozen tears landed and slid across my skin, as he cried into my shirt. Attempting to ignore the cold, I took off running to find someone who could help me. I couldn't handle all of this just by myself, and calling for Julian wasn't an option anymore. He didn't need beating. He needed support.

* * *

Eventually, I stumbled across Hannah. Upon seeing me, she dropped a basket filled with noisy rattles and other toys for baby Pokémon. She looked understandably terrified that I was coddling the Sneasel who nearly destroyed the ranch. In fact, she seemed to be more shocked that I was awake after my ordeal. I was thankful that I had ran into the punkish girl, because she was probably the only other person who wouldn't judge Wren for his previous misdeeds. She jogged over to me, immediately placing a tattooed hand on the Sneasel's sweaty forehead without saying a word. As I explained the situation, she tested the responsiveness of his eyes.

Springing into action, she helped me locate one of the storerooms that contained crate after crate of Pokémon food made for each specific type and diet. Without hesitation, she poured a considerable bowl of pellets made especially for carnivorous Pokémon who were weak from hunger and malnutrition. Apparently, it contained hundreds of nutrients that would make their strength return at a safe, steady pace. I was eternally grateful that Hannah actually knew how to do her job, even if it didn't directly relate to eggs. I made a mental note to get myself used to these types of situations. You never knew whenever emergencies like these would crop up.

While she was preparing the meal, I tried to placate the crying Sneasel outside the storeroom. Trying to be gentle, I slowly rocked him from side to side, like I was lulling a baby to sleep. Once he had calmed down enough to speak again, Wren whispered that he didn't want us to watch him while he was eating. Hannah emerged from the supply building, and closed the door respectfully behind the Sneasel after he entered. We both stood with our backs pressed against the wall, as I finished describing the conversation we had. I could only imagine just how ravenously Wren was stuffing his face, as it could have been weeks since he last had a meal that agreed with his physiology. After having time to process everything, Hannah was nearly as depressed about the Sneasel's state as I was. Sombre silence soon overwhelmed us.

Thomas seemed to know everything. I didn't want to think about what would have happened to Wren if he had been sent back into the wild instead of being captured. It really showed the similar compassion he had for any and all Pokémon. Even when his business was in jeopardy, he considered the Sneasel as an individual with his own thoughts and feelings. All of the risks that Thomas loved to take made me feel like there was another reason behind his eccentricity. Just what had happened in the man's past to make him like this? I was dying to find out more.

"Since Wren belongs to Tom, he'll ultimately decide what happens to him," Hannah sighed, as if she had somehow gained Julian's ability to read my mind. With the depressing silence dispelled, I looked into her speckled, ocean-blue eyes. They concealed something mysterious. "Going off what's happened in the past, he will either live at the ranch along with the other permanent residents, or Tom will transfer ownership to someone else. One of us, probably."

"Do you think I'd be able to handle owning a Pokémon?" I asked, knowing that Hannah must have had a lot of experience in caring for them. It seemed like I had stunned her a little with my sudden question, as she hooked her thumbs into the loops on her jeans and smiled softly.

"Well, you've managed to befriend a Sneasel who was attacking the ranch not too long ago," she noted, fiddling with a ripped thread on her tank top. She looked more like a ranch worker now than she ever had, with all of the bandages and ruined clothes. "Also, given your psych background, I'd say that you're way more qualified than most beginners. No problem, there."

Even though I had done my job and figured out Wren's true intentions, I was hesitant to take the plunge and become his trainer. I had been planning to potentially take the Swablu as my first Pokémon, as having an infant who was already enamoured with me seemed like the best option for a starter. However, now that I had learned what the Sneasel had gone through, it was obvious that I was invested in what happened to him. Would he choose to stay with me?

Whatever happened, he couldn't go back to the wild. Even living permanently at the ranch seemed like a risky decision, since some of the other residents may ostracise him for his earlier behaviour. I doubted that the all of the other Pokémon would accept someone who carelessly attacked one of their friends. Hannah seemed adamant that I would be the best person to rehabilitate him, but I wasn't that convinced. Just because I showed him kindness didn't mean that he was obligated to join my side. I didn't want to be a controlling trainer.

In complete honesty, I just wanted him to be happy again. It was his own life, so he could choose whatever path he wanted to walk. Devoting yourself to a trainer was a massive commitment, and it would be understandable if the Sneasel was too hurt and scarred to link his fate with another human. I didn't get the details of the past trainer that he had, but just from the sounds of things, Wren had likely been tossed out onto the side of the road here.

The door to the storeroom slowly creaked back open, causing me and Hannah to nearly jump a foot into the air. It seemed like we were both lost in thought, as I noticed that she couldn't stop looking at my arms, that had been stained with dirt and Wren's tears. The Sneasel crept back into the sunlight, looking much more exuberant and relaxed than before. His skeletal body wasn't dangerously shaking anymore, so that was a sign that everything had went okay. It would have been awful if he had been too malnourished to eat, but there was a mountain of pellets and crumbs littered across the wiry fur on his chest. He cleared his throat dramatically.

"You have… my gratitude, pink woman," he offered, clearly uncomfortable with showing such courtesy in an introduction. Even spending weeks lost in the wild wasn't an excuse for the Sneasel to have forgotten his manners, apparently. He gave Hannah a respectful bow like a true gentleman from Victorian times. My dark type hypothesis was already showing cracks.

"Don't mention it, Wren," she replied casually, light eyebrows subtly furrowed in displeasure at the strange moniker he had given her. I doubted that the Sneasel had ever seen dyed hair before, so she really should have seen it coming. Maybe I would start calling her that, as well. "If you ever need anything else while you're staying here, just ask. We're both here to help."

"Alex, you also have my deepest apologies, since my outburst may have been bothersome," he began, face awash with guilt as he turned to address me. Since social etiquette seemed to be very important to him, he looked ashamed that he had dared let himself cry in front of me. "It was not my intention to disgrace myself, however… matters just became too strenuous."

"Don't worry about that. As long as you're feeling better," I reassured, kneeling down to brush away all of the stray food that had tangled itself in his coat. As I picked at the pellets with my hands, he squirmed at the contact. I expected him to lash out at me for touching him, but he stayed quiet. Maybe his irritability was the result of hunger. "What's more important is what you want to do now. Like I said earlier, we're not going to send you back to the forest."

He looked unsure. His bloodshot eyes focused on the cloudy sky instead of me or Hannah. They glistened with remembrance, likely from the days when he was still under the care of a Pokémon trainer. We would need to talk about his past treatment sooner or later, but he had already been through enough today. Whatever their relationship had been, it certainly did not have a happy ending, so there could be some reluctance to share it. Even if he never wanted to bring up his old life again, it was needed for my psychological analysis. That was my job. After a nervous minute of pondering, he took a deep breath and looked back down at us both.

"I do not want to make a serious decision for the moment," he said logically, and I couldn't blame him for the passive response. Sure, we might have solved the problem of his hunger, but the Sneasel was dealing with a ton of other issues. It was better to wait and see how things would turn out with him before doing anything else. "However, if my presence is not reviled at this establishment, I would like to use the safety of its confines for the time being."

"That's something that you'd need to take up with our boss, the one who captured you, but he's not the type of man to ignore a Pokémon in need anymore," Hannah explained, using her impressive collection of keys to lock the storeroom once again. All of them looked the same, so I had no clue how she distinguished between them. "Alex needs to speak with the other workers about what happened earlier, so if you don't mind being returned to your Pokéball, I can take you to speak with him. For now, maybe you shouldn't walk around here so openly."

Wren peered over at me for confirmation. It was true that I hadn't spoken with Brandon or Katie about what had happened, and I was sure that they were worried about me. From all of the medical supplies laid out in the lodge's living room, someone had definitely fawned over me while I was unconscious. The least I could do was reassure them that I was unharmed. Hannah was doing me a huge favour by taking Wren in my stead. She also knew Thomas far better than I did, so I trusted her to take good care of the odd Sneasel I had grown to care for.

"Hannah has way more experience than me, so you can trust her too," I said, while handing her Wren's Pokéball. It still felt strange to be carrying one around, like I was a real trainer. While the punkish girl grasped the metal sphere, I could have sworn that her fingers wrapped around my mud-covered hand for a couple seconds too long. The contact made me shudder. "She also lives at this ranch, so you can always rely on her whenever I'm not here, alright?"

"Very well, I will surrender to the stasis, only for as long as necessary," he affirmed, glaring at the red-and-white sphere in Hannah's hands. It seemed like he held a clear grudge towards Pokéballs, which wasn't too uncommon. A lot of them didn't like being cooped up in a bag.

With a blinding flash of crimson light, the pitiable Sneasel who had been standing in front of me vanished, after a subtle glance of reluctance. With the crisis averted, it felt like I could finally breathe again, so I let out a laboured breath and fell backwards onto the warm grass. The gathering clouds obscured the sun high in the sky, but it was already beginning its slow descent across the west. This day had been incredibly long and stressful, just as Thomas had warned, but it was comforting to see that it was winding down to a close. Hannah seized the opportunity to join me in relaxing, as she clicked Wren's Pokéball onto her belt, and quickly collapsed somewhere next to me. The sight of the incoming sunset was too great to ignore.

"I can take him to see Thomas after we catch up a little more," she yawned, and even though she had managed to squeeze in a couple of hours of sleep, she probably couldn't wait for the day to end either. Although, she would have to keep getting up to work even during the night. "Alex, I was really worried about you, y'know? I almost couldn't believe what you had done when Julian and Katie told me about it. You didn't strike me as the superhero type, rockstar."

"I'm not a superhero," I chuckled, craning my neck to find Hannah's smirk. "My body just… moved on its own. Julian was getting more and more injured, so someone had to help him."

"When I first noticed you checking out my ass yesterday, I wasn't sure why Thomas had hired some horny teenager to work here," she began, and I hoped that she was looking up at the sky once again, so she wouldn't be able to see my face turn red. "Although, I'm starting to understand you a little more. Even though it's your first day at work, you risked your life to protect a co-worker, and then you tried to help the Pokémon who nearly killed you both."

"When you put it like that, it does sound pretty crazy," I replied, trying to act as nonchalantly as possible. I didn't know what was scarier about her, the fact that she knew I was staring at her butt yesterday, or how comfortable she was with it. Then again, she had been revealed as the one who wanted to see my performance with Leilana. We were both guilty of perversion.

"Crazy is good," she laughed. "It's made me realise that you're not like most guys I've met."

"How so?" I queried, trying to wipe the dirt away from my arms and hands to distract myself from the embarrassment. My outfit was totally covered in grass stains and splotches of mud.

"My past experiences with men haven't been the brightest," she sighed, causing me to stop fidgeting like a dumbass and turn over to look at her. She was lounging with her arms behind her head now, but even though her posture was fairly relaxed, I noticed something else there. It was the same look of hesitance I had seen from her a few times. "With every guy that I've ever dated, they would always say one thing, and then go on to show me the exact opposite. So far, everything that you've done here, shows me that you can love any sort of Pokémon."

"You watching me have sex with Leilana makes a little more sense now," I said, noticing that a pink tinge had spread across her cheeks, matching the colour of her hair. A lot of things had lead me to believe there was some kind of spark between me and Hannah, and since I found her to be like the perfect representation of my tastes, I was failing to contain my excitement.

"Honestly, I just wanted to see if you were a genuine poképhile," she admitted. The fact that she was deciding to be direct with her intentions was a good sign. "A lot of guys are willing to say anything if it increases their chances of getting laid, and I've met a ton who have said they're into Pokémon, only to freak out when I suggest bringing them out into the bedroom."

"Jeez, that sucks," I remarked, unable to contain a frown. It was hard enough to come to terms with fetishes and interests, without people trying to manipulate them for their own gain.

"Recently, it's been happening a lot," she said, rubbing at her eyes. It could have been an attempt to stave off exhaustion, but I saw it more as an effort to conceal her bottled emotions. She probably didn't get a chance to talk with new people about this. "My appearance seems to attract people like that. They basically think that they can walk all over me, because I'm just some slut with pink hair and tattoos, who's into lots of kinky stuff. I'm fucking sick of it. I just want to find someone who treats me normally, and shares my views about poképhilia."

"You're a lot more than just your sexuality," I reassured. She had spent hours just patiently waiting for an egg to hatch, so her love for Pokémon went far beyond just a powerful fetish. She wanted everything to go smoothly for the Swablu, and even inconvenienced herself to bring me along, even though she didn't have to. "Those guys aren't worth it, if they're not going to be honest about what they want from you. That sort of manipulation is disgusting."

"Right?" she exclaimed, raising her eyebrows and gesturing up to the clouds. "That's what I like about you, Alex. You look past appearances and first impressions, which gives people a chance to show their true colours. The first moment I realised that you were cool enough to hang around with us, was when you decided to sit down in the shed and keep me company."

"First impressions have a good chance of being wrong," I stated, watching a particular cloud that looked like a Ditto float by slowly. The atmosphere if this idyllic ranch was perfect for these kind of deep conversations. "Like, when I first met you in nothing but a bra and panties at the lodge, you did give off a strange vibe. But, now that I've gotten to know you more as well, I think that you're a wonderful person who's giving their heart and soul to this place."

"Damn, I thought you'd only be good at cheering up Pokémon, but it works on humans too," she smirked, scooting closer to me. It was the first time that I realised just how genuinely pleasing she was to be around. Underneath all those tattoos, there was a sweet woman who knew how to handle herself at this insane business. "I have no idea why I suddenly told you all of this shit about my life. It seems like Tom really did pick the best psychologist around."

"I dunno where I get it from," I sighed, utterly dumbfounded at how calm I was being. My attraction to Hannah was rapidly progression from just a crush, yet I wasn't melting into the ground like I usually did when talking to someone like that. I had spent the last year watching anime and playing videogames, with barely any social interaction. Despite that, I was giving advice to a person who was way more mature. Maybe all of that slice-of-life was paying off.

"You've earned my number, at least," she chuckled, extending her empty hands. It was the first time I could see the tiny tattoos in more detail. She had a blue lollipop etched into her left thumb, and a pink lollipop on her right thumb. Ignoring the fireworks exploding inside my head, I handed my battered phone and watched her swiftly tap in a series of loud digits. "Not only as a fellow employee, but whatever you'd call a ring of poképhiles who hook up with each other. You're still a little young for my tastes, but I'm willing to look past that."

"Wait, you mean like…?" I gawked, watching a sly, mischevious smile spread across her heart-shaped lips. Had some nerdy eighteen-year-old actually managed to land this goddess? I must have died and went to a sexual heaven, which just so happened to look like a ranch.

Before I could stupidly follow that tangent, there was a warm, moist feeling on my cheek. Hannah had planted a small, playful peck on my face while I was lost in celebration, and I still barely registered the fact that she kissed me. Stunned, I brought a hand to touch at the electrified spot, only to become smudged with lipstick. There was a faint, lingering scent of strawberries in the air, likely from her shampoo. The tattoo next to her collarbone was staring right at me as I began to hear the girl giggle. It was a pair of juicy, red lips kissing at a skull.

"Of course! The Pokémon aren't the only ones who should have fun here," she continued, clearly enjoying how much she had surprised me. Since she was leaning close to me, I had the perfect view down her loose, flimsy tank-top. It took all of my remaining willpower not to pop a boner at the sight of her lacy, black lingerie. "Brandon is allergic to my pussy, so I've been dying to have another human here that's not a chick. Strap-on dildos can get boring."

"I'm glad that role has finally been filled, then," I laughed, bringing my knees up to my chest to hide the fact that I was at half-mast. She definitely noticed, since it was an obvious move. My old friends from high school would never believe me if I told them there was a mature woman who was interested in me. Well, I would have to leave out the whole poképhilia part.

"I think we've already had enough rolling around in the grass for today, so I'll go take Wren over to the boss. It'll probably be late by the time we finish, so check in with us tomorrow," she advised, standing up shakily and dusting herself off. Since I was still sitting down, it made me realise that Hannah was pretty short and dainty. "You should probably go tell the others that you're not dead. Maybe give your stiffy some time to go down first, though."

"Got it," I nodded, after an embarrassed wince. I wasn't going to stand up until my eager soldier had finished his salute. Stupid, rampant hormones, getting in the way of everything. Maybe sweatpants weren't the best option for working here. "Thanks for helping, Hannah."

"Catch you later, rockstar," she grinned, flouncing around and skipping easily away from me. She was obviously putting a little more swing into her rounded hips, sticking her ass out in an attempt to draw my eyes further in. I was about to comment on how that wouldn't work, but was cut off by my teenage libido shoulder-checking me into submission. Arceus, she must be into yoga, or squats, or something. "Let's play 'will-they-won't-they' some other time, kay?"

Damn, she was good.

* * *

After talking a brisk walk through the secluded pathway that sliced through the hills, my erection finally calmed down. Working at this ranch would give every muscle in my body a good workout, especially the most important one downstairs. I wondered how long it would take me to master the art of controlling my arousal. I would give it a few months at the most. Since the sun was nearly hidden beneath the horizon, I figured that Brandon and Katie would be winding down at the lodge. Sure enough, as I made my way through the rustic door, I was ambushed by a whirlwind of cotton and light-ginger hair. The smell of fresh grass returned.

"Alex, I've been looking everywhere for you!" Katie squealed, as she pulled me into another rib-crushing hug. Her fluffy sweater was suffocating me, not to mention the precious air that had been squeezed out of my lungs. She nearly lifted me off my feet, and twirled me around.

Before I was entrapped in that lovely vice, I caught a glimpse of Brandon and Julian sprawled across the couches in the living room. They looked exhausted after a long day of work, and I couldn't imagine how much was involved in catering to the ranch residents and fixing issues. Unable to voice my concern that my spine was about to be snapped in half, all I could do was frantically tap Katie on the back until she released me. Eventually, the harsh pressure ceased.

I got a better look of my surroundings. Everything about the lodge looked much more relaxed and inviting than it did this morning. Brandon's work dungarees had been tossed onto the back of the couch, and they were replaced with a pair of sweatpants that looked remarkably similar to mines. Indra was snoozing under the huge, muscled legs of his trainer, as Brandon had propped his Pikachu-print socks onto the coffee table. The ornate fireplace that I had never noticed until now was roaring with life. Julian was even cradling a can of beer in his awkward, three-fingered hands. He idly tipped the weak alcohol at me in acknowledgement.

"See, I told you that he was fine," Julian sighed, rubbing gently at his bloody, damaged visor with his free hand. Even though he was injured, he must have powered through the stress and got his work shift completed as soon as possible. His devotion to this place was astounding.

"I know, but I still wanted to thank him," Katie pouted, and looked as if she was about to descend into another hug. Smudges of black mascara had blotched at the corners of her eyes, as if she had been crying at some point in the day. "Alex, what you did back there was really brave, and you protected Julian even when I was too scared to move. Words aren't enough to express how thankful I am that you were there. Those were the actions of a hardcore trainer."

"That might be true, but I still put myself in danger," I sighed, watching as Brandon peered over at me worriedly. He was scratching at one of Indra's long, fuzzy ears, who had awakened from all of the commotion going on. He kept his militant gaze focused on me. "Actually, I view it more as inexperience. We could have searched for one of the ranch Pokémon to help us in the battle, rather than having me risk getting gutted like a dumbass."

"Even still… you're still new here, and you've already put yourself on the line for one of us," she said, returning to her rightful place beside the Gallade now that she had checked that I really was unharmed. Her short legs whipped around and hung themselves across the psychic type's white thighs, as she snuggled into him. Their true love was something to be protected.

"That stuff takes guts," Brandon smiled, patting at the empty space to next him for me to come and sit down. I would take any opportunity I could get to be closer to the gentle giant, so I immediately collapsed onto the couch. My legs had been wobbling for a couple hours. "You made me worry, but you seem to be way tougher than you look. Working at a ranch with so many Pokémon can actually be pretty dangerous, so you gotta be prepared for that!"

"Not how you imagined your first day of work going?" Julian asked, with that familiar, smarmy smile. Somehow, holding a can of beer made him seem even more like a human.

"Yeah, I didn't catch the part in the contract about poképhilia and nearly dying," I joked, watching as the Manectric's posture had stiffened as I relaxed next to Brandon. I imagined that if I touched his trainer without his permission, I'd be receiving a lethal, electric shock. "Must've been in the fine print."

Various chuckles rang their way throughout the lounge, and I felt a sense of accomplishment that had been missing for many years. My first day of working at this ranch was drawing to a close, and it had been pretty successful. It made the small, casual moment that we were sharing together in this cosy lodge that much more meaningful. The only thing that would have made it better was Hannah's presence, but the lipstick she had left behind on my cheek was a good reminder of what was in store for me tomorrow. I couldn't believe that I was actually looking forward to coming back to this crazy place again. Why did anyone ever leave this paradise?

"Welcome to the job," Katie winked, halfway through a yawn. Everyone's eyes were half-closed in blissful tranquillity, as we basked in the afterglow after many hours of hard work.

I had no idea how much time had passed before everyone was getting ready to return home, as I had basically fallen asleep on the couch again. The piece of furniture was deceptively comfortable, as I had curled across one of the cushions. There was still no sign of Hannah, but I wasn't worried about the outcome of the meeting. She had reassured me that Thomas would allow him to stay, so I was confident about returning tomorrow to ask her about it. When things were all wrapped up at the lodge, the sun had disappeared, and the hills and pathways were bathed in darkness. The ambient noise of the ranch had totally vanished.

We were all walking out of the ranch together, chatting quietly. I was suddenly reminded of what Hannah had done earlier. It wouldn't hurt to have Brandon and Katie's phone numbers, just in case something came up and I wasn't able to make it into work for whatever reason. Oh, who was I even kidding? It was to plan orgies and flirt with each other outside of work. Framing things as entirely innocent and professional made me feel better about my horniness.

"Would you give me your numbers?" I asked, sticking out my cracked phone for whoever would take it from me first. I felt slightly embarrassed at my suggestive anime wallpaper, as Brandon smirked in surprise while the screen flashed to life, but it's not like I was ashamed. The screen being smashed in several places was more annoying. Maybe I would get a new one with my first paycheck. "For things that are entirely related to work, and nothing else."

Again, they all laughed with me. It felt like I was finally starting to come out of the shell that I had crawled into ever since high school ended, since the old me would have never made jokes like that around new people. They didn't even feel like people I had just met yesterday, and it like I had known about them my entire life. They were all weird and wonderful, and seemed so comfortable in their own skin that it was inspiring. I could really be like them. Was this what it felt like to find a good group of friends, that actually shared my interests?

After they had saved their numbers into my phone, we had to go our separate ways. It looked like they both lived somewhere in downtown Lilycove, which was known for its club scene and a series of cheap, dilapidated apartments. Meanwhile, I lived in a boring residential area in a house that didn't even belong to me. The differences in our ages was clarified once more. We exchanged goodbyes, and I was left alone to cross a darkened street. Well, maybe Julian was reading my emotions to see if I was going to make the same, dirty mistake as last night. He wouldn't get the satisfaction of feeling my orgasm, since I had to save that for tomorrow.

I was starting to understand the whole "nothing worth having comes easy" thing that my mum drilled into my head. She had abandoned us to go work in Unova, so maybe she was still chasing that same sense of satisfaction that I was feeling right now. It felt like I had finally passed through a door that had been closed for my entire life, and my lazy heartbeat quickened as I thought about the opportunities that would come in the future. Eventually, would I join Thomas on his excursions to other regions, or become a renowned trainer…?

As I unlocked the front door to enter the house, I thought about Wren and the Swablu, who were definitely going to be under my care. I would need to clear some space for the two creatures that would be living in my bedroom, and somehow conceal them from Lawrence. However, I was too exhausted to think about that anymore. Scooping up some leftover pizza that my brother had ordered off of the kitchen counter, I made a beeline towards my haven of comfort and safety. Yesterday, I was trying to stave off a panic attack, but today, I felt good.

Flopping onto my unmade bed and opening up my phone, I looked over my sparse contacts. Brandon, Katie, Hannah and Thomas had joined the ranks of my mum, brother, and the few friends from school that I had decided to keep. As awful as it sounded, I couldn't see myself reaching out to any of them ever again. I had found a new group that I felt more attached to, since they had helped me to accept the side of me that I had suppressed. I couldn't help but smile geekily at their names in my phone, as this was the beginning of something amazing.

I was an employee at Brooks' Breeding Service, and I would wear that badge with pride.


	6. Pokémon Whisperer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up, this is the current end of the overhauled chapters. From Chapters 6 to 10, you will probably notice a bit of difference in my writing style and maybe some weirdness with the characters. I'm working steadily to get these overhauled as well, but their length is pretty intimidating. I tried my best to change any glaring inconsistencies for now, but some might have eluded me. Please keep in mind that the following was written a few years ago by now, when I was still considerably inexperienced. Sorry – I know that this isn't exactly ideal, but overhauls were needed for me to continue.

The next day, I walked to the ranch while whistling a jaunty tune and kicking any stray rocks that tried to obstruct my path. I didn't care that I was getting glances from any person that I walked past, it was their fault for not being as happy as I was. I had gotten plenty of rest and was ready to tackle anything that would come at me with a renewed flare. Even though the sun was still freshly awakened from its slumber, I could feel the heat it was giving off like a slap in the face. Hey, maybe I'd get to see Brandon working with his shirt off.

I was itching to talk to the Swablu now that I had the translator firmly clipped to my ear. It was extremely well-made as I had entirely forgotten it was even there, falling asleep with it still in. It looked sturdy enough that I was confident I didn't break it during the night. Hopefully Hannah would have the time to accompany me so that the Altaria wouldn't freak out too much.

Then there was Wren and Thomas. I had left yesterday assuming that their talk had went okay, but I wasn't expecting the Sneasel to be meandering around with the other ranch inhabitants like nothing had ever happened. He was probably skulking around the woods, not bothering to talk to anyone. He'd most likely seek me out once he got word that I was back.

Thomas himself was absent from his post at the welcome building, once again bewildering me that this place didn't have a secretary. How many customers were they flushing away? He was probably off trying to win over some other businessmen into investing in the ranch.

It was exciting that I was starting my first proper day of work. Our wonderful boss never bothered to tell me how to go about things, but I assumed I'd be making my way through the ranch and meeting all of its inhabitants first. All of the Pokémon here had gotten accustomed to Katie and Brandon, but I was still basically a stranger to them. You had to start somewhere.

Before any of that though, I was dying to actually have a look around the lodge. It was annoying me that I had only seen the living room, because on the outside at least, the place looked massive. It would help to know where all of the bedrooms were, just in case I ever wanted to take someone – or multiple people – back there for a tussle in the sheets.

Coming to a stop at the front door, I found that it was locked. Was I the first one here this time? Hannah actually lived here, so maybe she locked the place up once everyone had left and she had the chance to get some sleep. Fishing my keyring which housed the keys and the nerdy keychains I had picked up over the years from my pocket, I guessed that the largest key Thomas had given me would unlock it. I still needed to ask him for the keys to other buildings, just in case I never needed to get into the incubation shed or the many storerooms.

Without anyone here to warm the place up but the sun, the lodge was pretty chilly. Everything was dark, making things much more ominous and foreboding than they had any right to be. It didn't help that I was trying to be quiet because disturbing Hannah from her erratic sleeping schedule was about the last thing on my list for stuff I wanted to do. Flicking the lights on, I finally had the place to myself for once.

The whole décor was very modern, with strange art that I didn't understand hung over the walls of the living room. It clashed with the rustic feel of the wooden floors and the fireplace, and it made me think that Thomas' knowledge of homemaking wasn't as good as his business skills. I ignored the couch and armchair that I was already entirely too familiar with and strode into the kitchen, almost tripping over the massive green rug that covered most of the room.

This room was much barer, being little more than a small table and counters. A worn coffee maker and microwave were much dirtier compared to the pristine cooking stove. At least I felt at home with a bunch of people who didn't have the drive to actually cook anything proper. Proving my point, the cupboards and fridge were filled with instant noodles and other such things that would decrease your life expectancy. There was a single apple sitting alone with a sticker saying 'JULIAN'S' plastered on it, however. At least he was getting one of his five-a-day.

I felt kind of nosy perusing through everything like this, but I would be adding to this mish-mash of appliances and food too. It felt like an apartment that belonged to a bunch of irresponsible teenagers, not a lodge where ranch workers took their breaks. I stuck the lunch that I had packed earlier this morning into the fridge and turned around to walk out of the small kitchen.

Hannah. Wrapped in a baby pink towel. Standing in front of me. She hadn't been asleep, and of course there would be a bath or shower in the lodge. Instead of screaming and running back to her room like how I imagined these things would usually go, she seductively leaned against the doorframe, blocking the only exit. Her hair was still dripping wet and her complexion matched the artificial pink colour. She was radiating shower steam.

"Night time is better for burglars, y'know, when people are asleep," she huffed, giving me a joking smile as she hiked the towel further up her chest. I could see the wet footprints that she left on the floor behind her, and I had to remind myself to not directly stare down at her milky-white, smooth legs.

"What if I wanted to get caught?" I smirked, somehow finding the courage to match her sultry demeanour. Just follow what you've seen in the countless fan-service anime, Alex. Okay, I was being pretty cringey, but when would I have another opportunity to have some banter with a wet girl only wearing a towel?

"Smooth," she whistled, removing herself from the doorframe and tip-toeing over to me. As she got closer, I could even feel the warmth emanating from her body. It made me want to jump back into my own shower, although I would've used hers at this point. "The nerdy _boy_ has some wit, after all."

The way she emphasised the word 'boy' made me swallow audibly. It was getting more and more difficult not to look down her towel, but she was basically standing in such a way that it was impossible. She was on another level of flirting than I was, that's for sure. A single droplet of water cascaded down her tattoo of the red lips, taunting me.

"It's a shame, if you were a few minutes earlier, you could've joined me," she whispered, delighting in how tense she was making the whole situation. I had forced my eyes away to focus on the much less sexy coffee maker, and although I wanted so badly to look back at her, this was too much even for the new-found Alex to handle.

"Y-yeah…" I spluttered, the persona I was trying so hard to keep up faltering as quickly as it began. I was sure that my face was as red as hers, but not because I had just got out of a steamy shower. Hannah seemed to get more and more alluring with each passing second.

"Relax, rockstar," she laughed, finally returning to her normal volume and tone. It creeped me out how quickly she could turn it on and off like that, and I was somewhat glad that the Hannah I knew had returned. "I'm not going to pull you into my bedroom just before we start working."

"It would be pretty unprofessional," I agreed, finally averting my gaze from the coffee maker and back to the pink-haired girl I was starting to carry a passionate flame for. There was just something about her that I had never seen before from a woman, if anything she acted more like some of the guys I used to hang around with. That sort of thing was really attractive.

"Not that Brandon or Katie would mind, I guess," she turned around, showing me the myriad of tattoos she had around her neck. The way the towel hugged the curve of her lower back didn't help to bring me back to my senses, and I cleared my throat forcefully to get rid of the thoughts that were beginning to sprout in my head. "I'll be going to see Swablu, if you want to join once I'm ready."

"Sure," I nodded, thankful we had left that sultry situation behind us. For as much that my libido was celebrating, I wasn't sure that my body would allow me to work if she kept teasing me like that. "I'm curious what it'll be like with these translators."

"I haven't let Britney stretch her legs yet, so she'll probably be joining us," she said, retracing her soggy steps back into the living room. I felt like I could finally breathe now that there wasn't a naked co-worker dripping all over the place.

"Britney?" I repeated, sticking my head out of the kitchen doorframe. I had barely caught Hannah just about to turn the corner back into the hallway leading to her room, and I noticed that she had slackened the towel somewhat. Focus, Alex.

"My Lopunny," she clarified, giving me a sly smile before rounding the corner. I was left staring at the wet marks she had made on the light-green rug. I wondered if its sole purpose was to mop up the various fluids from my co-worker's escapades. "You saw me eating her out yesterday!"

From some of my, uh, research, I knew that most poképhiles would kill to have a Lopunny on their team. It was understandable, with their vaguely human proportions and charm making it seem like they have evolved for the sole purpose of looking like something out of a playboy magazine. I assumed that they were more popular with straight guys who barely considered themselves into poképhilia, but I trusted Hannah's taste even if it was a little vanilla.

I twiddled my thumbs while she was getting dressed, wondering what other Pokémon she had in her care. It looked like she had a bunch of Pokéballs on her belt, so she definitely had more than either Katie or Brandon. It made sense, since she was so into eggs and whatnot. She probably hatched most of them herself.

A few minutes later, a less-dripping Hannah jumped back into the living room. Her hair was still ruffled, but she struck me as the type who couldn't be bothered to brush it, even if it was shorter than mine. She wore a tank top that covered even less than the one she wore yesterday, but this time it was bright white with a cartoon heart design on the front, her chest making the top part of it stick out. She was wearing leggings that looked like they had been splashed with multiple distinct colours of paint. She seemed to have an affinity for vibrant colours that clashed with each other.

"Ready, soldier?" She cheered while putting on her bright pink trainers, giving a mock salute with her free hand. I gave her a big grin and returned the gesture. Her enthusiasm was infectious, even though she was surviving on little bouts of sleep she could fit in around the egg maintenance. "I'm swinging by the shed just to check in, but Britney can keep you company."

* * *

I was left standing outside of the incubation building with a playboy bunny by my side. Hannah's Lopunny was extremely well groomed, with no patches of fur looking longer than others and radiating a healthy sheen. She was thin, but not so much that she looked malnourished or anything. It was likely that she was very conscious of her figure and didn't want to ruin the whole supermodel thing she had going on. Her hands were permanently brought up to cover her chest burlesque-style, her fluffy wrists obscuring where her breasts would be if she was human. What a fun species trait. Her pink eyes were sizing me up lustily.

"So… uh, how long have you known Hannah?" I asked, deciding to break the ice between us. I would be lying if I was saying that having a sexy rabbit in front of me wasn't a little intimidating, even if she gave off quite a harmless vibe. I wouldn't want to receive a kick from those long, springy legs.

"Well, like, she got me when she was like, ten years old back in Sinnoh, yeah?" Britney drawled, and it was almost terrifying how close her voice was to the stereotypical valley-girl accent. She'd fit right in wearing a skimpy bikini and bitching to her friends on a beach somewhere about how she suspected her boyfriend was cheating on her. "You could say that I was like, her starter or whatever."

That couldn't be real. There was no way that was how all Lopunnys spoke. If anyone could deal with listening to that all day, it would be Hannah. It made me wonder if she was surprised yesterday when the translator made the noises of a stuck-up rich girl when she had never heard her starter's real voice. I guess it was somewhat endearing, since the airhead charm of her voice fit well with her appearance. Now that I thought about it, if she had any other voice it would be out of character.

"So, Hannah was born in Sinnoh?" I wondered, even more intrigued about the spunky girl with the pink hair. I hadn't really had much contact with people from other regions, and it's difficult to tell where someone is from without them outright telling you. I knew that Sinnoh could get extremely cold in the winter and had a cool history, but that was about it.

"Like, yeah!" she laughed, her floppy ears bouncing along as she found what I had said extremely funny. I could hear loud, lagomorphic squeaks in my left ear even though the translator was trying its very best to turn the laugh into something humans could understand. "We used to live in Hearthome before we came to Hoenn, like, a few years ago."

She definitely had a penchant for using the word 'like'. She was probably saying it to fill time so her thoughts could catch up to the words that were spilling out from her mouth. She looked like she never thought very hard about much of anything, and would just say whatever she wanted without thinking of the consequences. Hannah likely preferred having Pokémon who spoke their mind, anyway.

"So, are you like, y'know, into Pokémon?" she asked, looking almost like she was about to jump onto me. It was well known that her evolution line procreated extremely quickly, and any areas that they lived in would soon be overrun by their offspring. It must not have just applied just to male Lopunnys, as she licked her lips almost predatorily at me. Her pink nose wiggled expectantly.

"Uh yeah… I just got into this whole thing a couple days ago," I admitted, focusing on the dew-laden grass instead of Britney's wanting eyes. Hopefully she would take the message that I wasn't quite ready to romp around with a playboy bunny who must have had years of kinky experience.

"Aw, that's like totally cool and everything," she said, somehow taking it better than I thought she would. I expected her to go in a huff because someone wouldn't spend time with her, but I guess the valley-girl disposition only went as far as her accent. I would have to start giving her more credit. She immediately backed off, relaxing and leaning on the outside wall of the shed.

"You two kids having fun?" Hannah's voice emanated from inside the shed. The image of her opening up each capsule and inspecting the eggs interested me, and I desperately wanted to watch her work, but I didn't want to disturb her one bit. It must have been delicate work. "Brit, honeybun, he's still a baby crawling through our fucked-up world, so go easy on him."

"Hear you loud and clear, sweetheart," she replied, and she had definitely dropped the accent significantly when answering her owner. If anything, her speech turned into the same chilled-out muttering that Hannah used. Since she had been around her for so long, it was only natural that she'd adopt the same mannerisms.

"What other Pokémon does Hannah own?" I asked, the curiosity finally bubbling over. I was sure that she would show me more at some point, but I wondered whether her collection was filled with more fluffy species like Lopunny. I had seen her with a Groyvle, but that may have just been one of the ranch residents.

" _Well_ ," she began, and I kind of regretted asking as it seemed like she was about to break into an exhaustive list. It was too late to go back what I had said, so I prepared to listen intently through all of the pauses.

"Aside from me, she has like, this totally handsome Grovyle called Apollo – he's like this super quiet guy who doesn't say much, then this adorable Minccino called Baxter who's a total sweetie, he's so gentle and is obsessed with keeping everything clean," she stopped to breathe, her feverish smile meaning that she still had much more to go. Her eyes were almost rolled to the back of her head as she tried her best to recall her comrades.

"Then there's this really fierce Salazzle she got when we were on holiday in Alola, her name's Victoria and we fight a lot cause she's like, pretty mean and all that but I love her anyway. Oh yeah, she has a Toxicroak called Oleander who was the only other Pokémon she got while in Sinnoh, and he's pretty creepy but we've been together for like, ages so I know that he's actually a good guy. Then finally, she has this giant Pangoro that used to be the cutest little Pancham, but once he evolved he turned into this total like, monster who doesn't take shit from anyone. His name's Chief."

Her collection far outweighed that of Brandon and Katie, both in terms of number and strength. She had plenty of fully evolved Pokémon, so she must have done her fair share of battling in her past. I was also noticing another pattern, that her team was split up evenly between mammalian species and then reptilian and amphibious ones. I didn't expect such a wild contrast.

"Yeah, you can probably tell I have a thing for both fur and scales," she laughed from the shed, and I could hear the sound of a capsule clamping shut. She emerged from the darkness and dusted off her hands on her multicoloured leggings. I eyed at the spheres on her belt, now knowing the contents of each one. "Variety is the spice of life."

"I'd love to meet them all some time," I said, smiling. Nothing made me happier than seeing what kind of Pokémon someone owned. You could tell a lot about their personality from the species they identified with, and even more about how they trained them. From the sounds of things, she was both a good breeder and trainer.

"Once you get some of your own, I'll take you under my wing," she winked, placing a lazy arm around both me and Britney. She hung off the both of us, scuffing the wet grass with her flashy shoes. Her smooth arm on the back of my bare neck made me shiver. "I learned under Tom, so you'll learn under me."

"Wait, Thomas taught you about training?" I asked, confused as to what she meant. I knew that they had a past together, but I thought that it only went as far as employment. From the way they were speaking, it sounded like he was a mentor to her. Her face went the same colour as her hair again.

"Uh… we've known each other since we were young…" she began, clearly embarrassed that she had to be speaking about when she was a child. Her arm tensed around my neck as she began to unintentionally strangle me. "He used to come to Sinnoh on vacation where I grew up during the summers, so we kind of became rivals."

Wow, so they went way back. The image of a young Thomas and Hannah running through forests to find Pokémon and laughing together was definitely cute, but she didn't seem to enjoy looking back on it. It was pretty awkward to have one of your childhood friends ending up as your boss, even more so that you both turned out to be poképhiles. She didn't look angry or anything, but it seemed like she preferred to live in the present than dwell on the past.

"Yeah, like, Tommy taught me how to like, kick people's asses and stuff so he's pretty cool," Britney cooed while receiving an ear massage from her trainer. I didn't doubt that Thomas would take pleasure in teaching a playboy bunny a whole bunch of fighting techniques, so maybe she wasn't as harmless as she first seemed.

"Anyway," Hannah began, clearing her throat forcefully to stop her Pokémon from reminiscing any further. "Enough about my embarrassing early days, Swablu will be wondering where her daddy went."

"Do not phrase it like that," I sighed, watching as Hannah smirked unabashedly at me. She was just waiting to make that joke, and from the look on her face the payoff was as good as she thought it was going to be. "It'll just make it weirder if we end up doing the deed."

" _When_ you end up doing the deed," she corrected, wiggling a disapproving finger in my face. I still saw Swablu as a baby, so there was no way that I was going to use her for stuff like that until she had matured a bit. That'd be a whole other depraved thing that I'm sure wouldn't give me a thrill. "Pokémon are down for mating pretty soon after they hatch, so don't think about it like that."

"Yeah, like, I don't even think we like, have proper ages anyway," Britney dismissed, innocently smiling at me like we weren't just talking about the semantics of consent between a recently-hatched Pokémon. "It's just kinda like, whatever, y'know?"

She had such a way with words. I spotted Hannah smile dumbly at her Lopunny from the corner of my eye, so she must have found that sort of thing really cute. They seemed like a good match for each other, even if the way Britney acted was interesting to say the least. Whatever floated her boat.

The three of us took the path to where Altaria usually basked in the sun. Hannah was explaining that I could take the Swablu once her mother said that it was okay, and since we had the translators it'd make the whole process go much quicker. She told me that it was a mixed bag how long it could take, with some mothers parting with their young right after they hatched and some wanting to stay with them for months. I knew that most avian species wanted to care for their offspring for a little while until they could fly well on their own, but Altaria was an outlier when compared to more common species such as Swellow or Pidgeot. I'd have to study up on the Swablu line.

She had also told me that it was customary to use a Pokéball on any newly hatched Pokémon, so that they wouldn't be considered wild. It was part of the job that she had to do, and the paperwork she needed to fill out meant that she had to list any Pokémon under the care of the ranch as trained. It was also helpful if they needed to be returned to their ball if they got in danger, but it was mostly just for convenience. It would also mean the translator would be able to pick up her speech, so I was excited to hear her voice for the first time.

It was a particularly sweltering day, and we passed many Pokémon trying to find any form of shade that they could. An exhausted looking Houndoom padded by us, clearly boiling over from a mix of his own body temperature and the sun. I was still amazed at the variety of Pokémon that were kept here, and that Houndoom must have had a particularly good temperament. If I remembered right, they were quite ruthless and difficult to train properly. He gave us a soot-filled snort and didn't say anything as we passed.

"Oh yeah, Hannah, how did the meeting with Thomas and Wren go?" I questioned, forgetting that I hadn't asked her earlier at the lodge. Her being covered in only a towel kind of threw me off, so I didn't get a chance to find out.

"Aw, it was totally fine," she shrugged, smiling at me confidently. I expected as much, but it was still a relief that Wren had a place to stay for the time being. I couldn't bear to think about him being sent back to the wild. "I let him go wander around last night so he could get used to the place, and he said that you should come to the woods if you want to talk with him."

"I'm glad it went well," I nodded, sighing now that the weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I'd need to go find Thomas as well to talk about what had happened. If only he wasn't so damn elusive. "Thanks again, Hannah. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Oh, stop it," she blushed, slapping me on the shoulder forcefully. I wasn't trying to flatter her or anything, it was just that she seemed so willing to do things for me even though her work was stressful already. "It wasn't that big of a deal, seriously. Now you just have to recruit him, which I don't think I can help with."

That was next on the list of things to do after I saw Swablu, as I'd likely have to win him over a little more before I could ask him to join me. I was quickly coming around to the idea of having Wren as one of my Pokémon, as seeing more and more of my co-worker's relationships made me crave what they had. Wren was a good Pokémon, just troubled and misunderstood. I would need to help him make up with Julian, which would be quite a struggle, but we would cross that bridge when we came to it.

We came up upon the familiar hill that Altaria decided to call her home, and we each huffed and puffed as we scaled the grassy surface. I felt bad for Britney, with all that dense fur she must have been sweating rivers. She didn't dare let it show though, and her complexion was still sparkling. I imagined she would freak out if she got dirty. The things she would say were so vivid in my head, like a daddy's girl who was angry that she had been gifted the wrong colour of Lamborghini. Arceus, I really couldn't get over that stereotype. It was so amazing.

The sky was cloudless, so I definitely knew that the white mass we came upon was our target. She was asleep, her cloudy form rising and falling as she took slow, relaxed breaths. It would have been cute just on its own, but to add to the whole thing Swablu was perched on her back, snoozing away as well. Altaria's head plumage ruffled with the slight breeze at the top of the hill, and they both looked very peaceful. I felt bad about disturbing them.

Swablu woke up first, beak clicking quietly as her eyes fluttered open. It looked like she was in a daze. I did everything not to squeal because of how adorable it was. She confusedly gazed at us for a few seconds, her sleepy head not quite processing what was in front of her. Once she focused on me, they shot open and she scrambled to get her mother awake.

"Wake up! Wake up!" she prodded in excitement. Her voice was light and high, and even though she was enthusiastic about my arrival, there was a tone to her voice that was as gentle as a cloud. It was eloquent and easy to understand, like a singer's. Every Pokémon must have been capable of speech right when they were born. "Alex is here!"

Hearing my name in her voice made me smile widely. She really did have a bond with me, even if it was only because she had seen me first, it was better than her not knowing who I was. Hannah nudged me in the side, motioning for me to move forward. I guess she no longer needed to take the lead now that we had met her mother once before.

"Okay baby, I'm awake," the Altaria sang, rising up and stretching her massive wings. She let out what must have been a yawn even though it sounded more like a warble. The Swablu bounced around on her back, but the cloud material acted as a shock absorbent and she didn't tumble off and hurt herself. "You can go see him, just be careful."

Now that she had permission, Swablu climbed her way down the cloud mountain that she found herself in. She clawed and scratched, scrambling her way down her mother's body. Once she was on the grass, she erratically fluttered and jumped to try and reach me. I tip-toed forwards, almost too stunned to move any faster.

"Alex!" she chirped, propelling herself against me like a blue, fluffy cannonball. She hit me with little force and since she was incredibly light, it was like nothing was there in the first place. I cradled her in my hands, looking into her sparkling, black eyes. Her wings fluttered as she wanted to keep herself afloat without my help. "I missed you!"

"I missed you too, girl," I whispered, feeling suddenly like Hannah when she was talking to the egg that this Swablu had come from. I understood how she felt at that moment, as everyone else seemed to fade into the background and my sole focus was placed on the Pokémon I was holding. I kind of felt bad for trying to speak to her so much when she was like this.

"When do I get to go home with you?" she asked innocently, and I frantically looked over at Hannah for any sort of assistance. I had no clue that she would be so eager to leave her mother, in fact I expected her to want to stay for a lot longer. It looked like she was pretty confident that she would be okay with me taking care of her.

"That's up to your mother," Hannah stepped in, making the Swablu look over in her direction. Her expression changed to one of… distaste? It was hard to tell what that emotion was as her face was little more than a white beak and large, black eyes. It seemed she still didn't think very highly of Hannah for limiting our time together. "What do you think, Altaria?"

"Well, I can plainly see that my daughter has taken a liking to this man," she said, gesturing a giant wing towards me. The soft breeze was dislodging part of her wings that had been shed, and a small shower of fluffy cotton balls made their way towards me. "Once I have determined that he would be a suitable caretaker, I would be happy to part with her."

Hannah looked equally as surprised as I was. She had also assumed that the Altaria would be protective of her daughter, but it looked like she was comfortable if I proved that I wasn't going to do anything suspect with her. I had no idea if she knew what poképhilia was or not, so I was adamant to not just outright say what would inevitably happen once we got to know each other more.

The Swablu squirmed in my arms, clearly displeased that she wasn't receiving an answer straight away. I decided to sit down and place her in the space that my crossed legs created, so she could rest her head on me. It would bring me closer to Altaria's level too, and make things seem less standoffish. I was willing to do whatever I could to win over her favour. I felt like I was trying to impress someone's dad whose daughter I was trying to marry. Hannah stepped back towards Britney, confident that I could handle it.

"What do you want to know about me?" I asked kindly, twirling Swablu's head plumage absentmindedly. She had immediately calmed down once I started petting her, and I didn't even realise that I was doing it until she relaxed under my hand.

"What do you plan on using my daughter for?" she asked, tightening her oval eyes and pursing her beak primly. She rose her neck as high as she could, almost looking down upon me and the Swablu. "I would like to know what she would be doing when she is away from my care."

"Well, I haven't actually owned any Pokémon before this," I admitted, watching the Altaria's demeanour slackening to something less judgemental. She must have thought that I was an experienced trainer, taking away her child because she was the offspring of a Dragonite. I needed to show that I wouldn't use her solely for battling. "For myself, I've always wanted a Pokémon as a companion. Someone to spend my downtime with, that I can get to know. But more importantly, I think we should ask your daughter what she wants to do."

Her beak opened in surprise. She was clearly not expecting me to factor the Swablu into the equation. It was only fair that she should get a say in things, since she'd be spending all of her time with me from now on. I had to prove that I viewed Pokémon as more than just a commodity, as Wren had wrongly assumed of me. His confrontation with me had actually proved useful. It showed me that some Pokémon actually showed some dislike for trainers because of their ideals, even if Wren was a bit of an extreme case.

"So, honey, what would you like to do with Alex if he takes you?" she asked sweetly, bringing her thin neck back down to our level. She was much less intimidating when she was trying to please her child. The Swablu looked happy that she was being asked a question directly, perking up and backing up against me.

"Well, I want to do lots of things!" she responded, craning her small body to look at me. I wasn't convinced that she'd give a very meaningful answer since she was still pretty young, but it was good to get her opinion either way. "I want Alex to show me a bunch of things I've never seen before, and you've told me about battles, and I think they sound like a lot of fun! I've started to fly by myself pretty good as well, so I think I'd be good at battling!"

Funny. She was talking about the very thing that her mother was concerned about her doing. Altaria must have told her what battles were, and it looked like it had spawned some curiosity in her daughter. I certainly wasn't experienced or all that interested in battling properly, but if she wanted to see what they were like then I'd try my best to train her. Hannah did say that she would help.

"Oh yeah, I want a lot more hugs from him too!" she said, turning and burying her face into my stomach. I couldn't help but chuckle at her, as she seemed to be full of so much positive energy that it was passing over to me. Hugs I was much better at, although it was difficult to do one properly for a tiny Swablu. Her chirps were muffled into my shirt. "Please let me go with him!"

"Just to let you know, I work here at the ranch so you'll never be too far away from her," I said, trying to convince Altaria as much as I could. Hopefully once she understood that I wasn't going to whisk her away to Kanto and start battling with her, things would go a lot more smoothly. "I don't have any big plans for her, I've just always wanted a Pokémon to brighten my day. I'll do my best to keep her happy, and that's all that really matters to me."

I felt like I was being a little cliché, but those were my true feelings. Before I had started all this ranch stuff, I always envied others who got to spend time with Pokémon, almost unhealthily so. But now that I was spending time with the very type of people I had negative feelings towards, I was starting to admire them. I wanted to be like Hannah. I wanted to be like Brandon and Katie. I was tired of being left out of things. I flashed back to the training clubs that I never got to join in high school.

"Alright," she sighed softly, her beak curving in what must have been a small smile. I could hear the Swablu quietly gasp in amazement, and I almost couldn't keep my composure. The Altaria began to blur as I felt tears sting at my eyes. "If you promise to always keep her happy, then I trust you."

I could feel myself shaking. I was trying so hard not to break down in front of Hannah and Britney, but the disbelief that the Altaria was entrusting Swablu to me sent shockwaves all through my body. There was nothing else going on around me but the sun beating down hard on my back, and the whistle of the wind caressing my ears. Everyone was silent. I doubted that I would forget this moment for the rest of my life. The Altaria gracefully ducked her head down, splaying out her wings and giving me a courteous bow.

"Just one last thing," she began, breaking me out of my stupor. I remembered that the conversation hadn't ended, and I steeled myself for another question. "What will you name her?"

I hadn't even considered a name. My mind was too rattled to honestly think through all of the options I had thought about since I was a child. There was so many possible names that I could give to tons of different Pokémon, and a Swablu was one that I had never given any attention to. It needed to be fancy, befitting of a Pokémon that would one day grow into a beautiful creature. Refined, while also not being too complicated.

"Eloise," I said, my throat constricting my voice into a hoarse whisper. The nervous feeling that I hadn't felt at all today came back, but this time, I was comfortable with it. It didn't annoy me like it usually did, because somehow, I knew that everything would work out. It wasn't a worrisome feeling. "Is that alright?"

"Excellent choice," she approved, her eyes focused on her baby. I didn't know how the Swablu had kept it together this long. I thought that she would be jumping out of my lap and excitedly tackling into me. Maybe she understood that this was a tender moment. "Eloise… you are free to join Alex."

There it was. Before I could even blink, I was assaulted by a flurry of blue and white as she had managed to scale my chest all the way up to my face. I fell backwards onto the grass, laughing hysterically as her cloud-like wings were tickling the sides of my head. She was pecking and nuzzling my cheek as I flailed my arms wildly, trying to sit back up.

"All right, you two," Hannah said, breaking up the encounter before she managed to actually scratch my face up. Eloise fluttered off of me, drifting off into the wind like she didn't even weigh anything. She had gotten better at flying, or well, riding the faint wind currents with her wings. "You'll need to get your licence at some point, Alex, but it only really matters if you try and enter official tournaments and stuff."

Oh yeah, I had entirely forgot. You needed a government-issued Trainer ID before you tried to seriously train any Pokémon. It was to stop crime and help to easily identify criminals who used Pokémon for their nefarious deeds, which was understandable. It only took a trainer and a Pokémon who shared the same destructive mindset and a whole building could be levelled in a few seconds. I sat back up, watching as Eloise struggled to try and not rush into me again.

"Thank you, Altaria," I said sincerely, extending my hand toward the dragon type. I wasn't exactly expecting a handshake or anything, but she respectfully pecked at my hand with her strong, honed beak. "I promise to take good care of her."

"Please, call me Esther," she said, thinking that I had earned the right to now know her name. I would need to ask Thomas more about her, as I wondered if she was owned by one of his trainer friends or she had been caught by him to add to the ranch's ranks. It seemed rude to outright ask her about her past. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to get some rest."

Hannah fell into place beside me. I felt oddly powerful when she was standing next to me, and I wasn't sure if it was just her confident personality or the fact that she was an experienced trainer. Britney was still behind us, examining her paws and barely paying attention to what was going on in front of her. If Pokémon knew how to use phones, she would definitely be texting right now.

"You'll be needing this now," Hannah said, pushing the classic Pokéball into my hands. It felt much lighter than Wren's, and I couldn't tell if it was physical or emotional weight. When I was handling his, the situation was way more serious compared to this. Eloise's ball barely weighed anything, much like her. "You'll need to get used to carrying them around with you."

The sun gleamed off the shining surface of the red and white ball. I almost lost myself in the reflection with the knowledge that I now owned it. I still hadn't had the experience of catching a Pokémon for myself, but I was sure that it would happen eventually. The bond that I shared with Eloise was enough to compensate for the fact it wasn't my own effort. This capturing device was the symbol of a trainer. I was a trainer. Not having a belt or a bag to put the deactivated ball into, I shoved it deep into my pocket and hoped it wouldn't tumble out.

"Can I come explore with you guys?" Eloise asked excitedly, pecking at the front of my muddy boots. It was weird to think that she had never really left this area, and had only seen the incubation shed and the hill we were standing on. Something about her enthusiasm told me that she too, would hate being cooped up inside a Pokéball.

"Sure, you can," I smiled, while watching Esther nod her head at me subtly. To other people, it must have seemed like she was trying to get rid of her child from the way she was so easily handing her over, but I could see that she was still keeping a watchful eye over all of us. I got the feeling that she would never be too far away from her baby, and would swoop in at any moment to fawn over her.

After my response, Eloise impressively pushed herself up in the air and flapped her wings feverishly. She wasn't gaining too much speed, but with admirable effort she had managed to elevate herself so that we were at eye-level with each other. She rose a little higher, out of my sight and I felt a warm presence perch itself on the top of my head. She settled into my nest of hair, scratching at my scalp with her claws. She was resting squarely on top of my head, snuggling down and chirping with content.

I had always thought the piece of trivia that Swablu often sat on their trainer's head like a hat was just a weird legend spread around. As I could feel her light breathing on top of me, I wondered if it was just an odd coincidence or a habit that the whole species had. Her cloudy wings almost fell by my ears, muffling my hearing somewhat. Both Hannah and Britney immediately found something very amusing, and even through my impaired hearing I could make out the snickers.

If it made her happy, then I could deal with looking a little silly. It was better than having her strain herself by running alongside me or flying around me. I had to keep reminding myself that she was still pretty frail, and we would have to take things slow until she built up a good bit of stamina.

With Eloise happily balancing on my head, we all said our goodbyes to Esther and started the descent back down the hill. It took a while for us to get back to the lodge, as we had to stop multiple times to let her look around at our surroundings. She didn't bother speaking all that much, and was too amazed by all the new things that she got the chance to look at. It was almost like she we forgot we were even there. We passed by the Houndoom from earlier resting under the shade of a lone tree, who was rudely awakened by her chirping and screeching.

By this point, Brandon and Katie had arrived at the lodge. It seemed like they had both turned up relatively late, but Thomas wasn't around to actually notice. The times they had to be at the lodge for work seemed pretty lenient, so I wouldn't have to worry about accidentally sleeping in and pissing anyone off. It also reminded me that they weren't here because they needed to be, Thomas could go the full day without checking it seemed like, but they were here just purely out of their want to help out.

The reaction to the Swablu sitting on my head was a mixture of surprise and excitement. Brandon wanted to let his electric trio play with her, but envisioning the chaos that his Emolga and Blitzle could create, I thought that it would be better to wait until she was stronger. Katie couldn't stop going on about how fluffy and adorable she was, and I could swear that Julian seemed a little jealous that her attention wasn't directed at him. Eloise seemed overwhelmed by the amount of attention she was getting, but soldiered on to greet everyone nonetheless.

"Hannah told us that you had your eyes on that Swablu, but we honestly didn't think you'd go through with it this soon," Brandon smiled while giving me a strong clasp on the shoulder. His hand was strong and sure, and it made me consider what it would be like to be under their powerful grasp in a more… intimate setting. This place was affecting me. "Congratulations on getting your starter!"

"She's so cute!" Katie squealed while rubbing her hands all over Eloise's wings. My new Pokémon didn't seem to mind, leaning into the massage in bliss as her cloudy appendages were preened. "I would've snatched her up in a second… you're so lucky!"

"I'm more interested in her lineage," Julian mused, still lounging on the couch like I hadn't entered the room, stoic and unwavering as always. "Gulliver's genes will definitely make her a force to be reckoned with in battle, if you train her correctly."

"Gulliver?" I asked, watching Eloise nip at Katie's hands as she got a little too close to her beak. It seemed like she could only put up with so much handling before she got tired of things. Katie was just barely deterred, pouting and retreating back to her boyfriend in a strop. She could caress him as long as she wanted, that was for sure.

"Thomas' Dragonite," he answered, his eyes locked dead onto the Swablu that was adorning my head. Was the jealousy still lingering from earlier, or was this something different? "She's definitely inherited something from him. Gulliver's built up quite a reputation as being the strongest – and most aggressive – member of his team back when he was still active in the battling scene."

"Well, I was aware that Thomas used to battle, but how seriously?" I questioned once again, this time receiving a nervous laugh from Hannah who had remained guiltily quiet throughout the conversation. It was like she knew this was where things were going to lead. She had returned Britney since getting back to the lodge, leaving her the only one available to answer.

"Pretty damn serious. He used to battle with me, actually," she admitted, avoiding my gaze. It wasn't such a big deal to me, so why was she acting like that whenever her past with him was brought up? I still wasn't seeing the whole picture when it came to those two. "We competed in doubles tournaments together, back when the ranch was still getting organised. It's how we got a portion of the money to build this place."

So, Thomas wasn't being entirely truthful when he said that he had gotten all of his prior money from his family. Now that I thought about it, there had been a couple clues in our past interactions about the intensity of his battling background. The whole 'gym leaders of breeding' thing was referencing those who were the very best at battling, so I should have noticed that he idolised them in such a way. Him owning a Dragonite would make sense as well as it would require a ton of battling to make Gulliver reach his final stage in evolution.

"Eloise has the blood of a battler in her," Hannah added, looking at my Swablu with admiration now instead of guilt. It was hard to think that this frail little flying type had the genes of an immense dragon. "Maybe Tom wanted there to be a successor to Gulliver's power?"

"Whatever the case is, welcome to the group, Eloise!" Brandon cheered, clearly wanting to lighten the mood a little with his upbeat personality. I had noticed him watching Hannah intently as she told her story solemnly and must have realised that she didn't want to dwell on it. He was being so considerate that I couldn't protest, but I would be lying if I said that I wasn't curious about Hannah and Thomas' battling stories.

"You guys all seem like fun!" she said, finally rousing from her nest atop my head and fluttering down to the floor by Brandon's ankles. The size difference between them was amusing, to say the least. "If you're Alex's friends, that means you're my friends too!"

I could hear another audible squee from Katie, but she stayed where she was this time instead of trying to snuggle against my new Pokémon. Brandon laughed while kneeling down to ruffle her head-feathers, showing so much gentleness and care toward her. His hand practically dwarfed her, so he had to be careful not to squash my one and only team member.

That reminded me. Wren was still waiting in the forest for me to go and speak to him. This would be a day spent conversing with Pokémon, no doubt. It was good training for how the rest of my days would be spent here, so I wasn't complaining. It would be quite the contrast going from Eloise to that eccentric Sneasel, and I didn't think that they would be ready to meet yet. As if she was reading my mind, Hannah tapped me on the back.

"If you want some privacy with Wren, I can take Eloise for a little while I chill out," she whispered into my ear. I doubted that the others knew about the entire situation, so it was better that she was being discrete rather than announcing it. If Julian knew, he was keeping it to himself for now. "I can let her play with Baxter, he's super gentle with new hatchlings."

"You're a life-saver," I replied, still feeling her breath hot on my non-translator equipped ear. It was kind of a turn on to have her that close to me, but I didn't have time to think upon it. Talking with Wren while thinking of all the things I'd like to do with her wouldn't end well, so I'd just have to swallow it for now and pray for later.

"We'd better start our shifts," Julian reminded diligently. It was impossible to tell whether he was actively taking a role in helping me by getting the others away, or just doing what he always did with staying on top of schedule. Either way, he knew what I was going away to do. He always knew.

The others slowly filtered their way out of the lodge as everyone exchanged farewells, Eloise disappointed to see all of her new friends leaving so soon. I didn't like that I had to leave her too so soon after acquiring her, but it was a bullet that I needed to bite. Wren needed as much, if not more, attention right now in the state that he was in. She was still young, but I hoped that she understood that I had important matters to deal with.

"Are you working too?" Eloise asked, looking at me with Lillipup-eyes. I felt my heart basically snap in two as I was preparing to let her down for the first time, but Hannah had more tact and experience in dealing with youngsters, thank Arceus.

"Alex has an important job that he has to do by himself, but I can stay here with you," Hannah crooned, squatting down and somehow managing to keep her composure under the expectant stare of the little Swablu. It made me wonder just how many tiny, unruly baby Pokémon she had dealt with in the past. She was basically an expert in negotiating with those new to the world. "Do you want to play with some of my Pokémon?"

"Ooh~! What kind of ones do you have!?" she fluttered and squawked, completely taking the bait. I had expected it to be harder than that to pry her away from me, but she must have still been very impressionable and curious. She propelled herself into Hannah's waiting arms and squirmed around until she was facing me. "Bye bye, Alex – have fun at work!"

I mouthed a final 'thank you' on my way out the door as Hannah cradled Eloise much like I had done earlier. Her cerulean eyes softened as she looked back at me, her mouth curving into a one-sided smirk. I had no idea what exactly about the situation prompted this, but I felt my heart flutter in such a way that I hadn't felt for a long time. Seeing her come through for me time and time again, without wanting anything but a 'thank you' in return, and showing the same smirk that she was never without made me all warm inside.

* * *

Arriving at the edge of the forest, I found a very apprehensive-looking Sneasel. He was pacing around, weaving in between trees while lost in thought. He must have had a lot to mull over now that he had a moment to think clearly, and I felt slightly guilty that I didn't come to see him sooner. He was looking much steadier and level-headed than yesterday, greeting me with a courteous, albeit pensive, nod as I approached him.

"Hey Wren, you wanted to speak with me?" I asked, watching as the ice type stopped his pacing to lean back onto one of the trees. His muscles were still tightened, and it looked like he was bracing himself to withstand an attack.

"I have been pondering over my situation, and I find it necessary that you should understand my past in more detail," he winced, his nervous demeanour now making more sense. He wasn't willingly wanting to discuss his past life with me, but felt inclined to do so under obligation. He was being brave to jump headfirst into such a rough situation like this.

"Whatever you want to talk about, I'm here for you," I smiled, seating myself on the grass beside him. I had noticed that he wasn't covered in dirt anymore, so have must have taken the opportunity by his lonesome to get cleaned up in the river.

"First things first…" he began, taking a deep breath for composure. "You should know that I was not abused in any shape or form by my previous owner. I am not some miserable victim who was toyed with by a twisted trainer."

"Well… if you weren't abused, then why were you released?" I asked, tone calm and passive. Wren was bothering to open up to me even though his demeanour was still locked up, so he wouldn't likely do so again. It would be best to get it all out now. He looked like he'd rather be anywhere else right now, but his clawed feet were planted firmly into the ground.

"If you were being abused, then that would involve having negative action taken against you, be it violence or cruelty. My situation is quite the opposite… I believe it would be classed as neglect. While victims of abuse receive attention, those who are neglected are deprived of interaction."

He was being so articulate it was like he was giving a well-informed speech to a crowd of thousands. He had no doubt rehearsed what he was going to say to me, and there wasn't even a hint of uncertainty in his voice. His maturity was almost admirable, and it was a far cry from the rage he was displaying yesterday. I had never met such a Pokémon with the ability to act so refined. Even Julian would use abbreviation and slang, but Wren thought carefully about every word.

"So, your trainer didn't give you much attention?" I asked, ripping up tiny sections of grass so my hands would be occupied. It wasn't uncommon for some Pokémon to stay in their balls for lengthy periods of time, if their trainers worked long hours or they had other obligations, but that's what daycares and other services were for.

"He was a pilot," Wren murmured while shaking his head. "He was a man who was intensely devoted to his occupation, and could not care less about owning or training Pokémon. I was the only one he ever owned."

"Why were you with him in the first place?" I asked, only realising after the fact that I was being a little insensitive. I cleared my throat quietly, needing to remedy the tension that I had spawned in the air. "If you don't mind me asking, of course."

"I was a gift," he croaked, looking up at the bright blue sky and avoiding my gaze. "I was given to him as an egg once he completed his aviation training… I have no clue who would think that a Pokémon was a good award for a pilot who would have no time to care for one."

That was rough. Wren had been given to this man before he could even have a say in the matter. Eggs were usually reserved for people who would actually look after the Pokémon inside, and I had no idea which breeding service would give out an egg to someone who was just going to give it to someone else. There was always the possibility that the egg was made by the people themselves, wanting an easy option for a gift that they could just use their current Pokémon for.

"Do you know what it is like to be held in stasis in those horrid spheres for weeks at a time?" Wren growled, still glaring up at the sky like he was directing the question at Arceus himself. "You typical trainers likely do not know what we experience inside those infernal pieces of technology that have become so commonplace in your culture."

Now that he had spoken upon it, I realised that it was true. Since understanding Pokémon speech could only be done under specific circumstances that were only just being developed, and Psychic types were relatively uncommon, not many people knew what it was truly like to be inside a Pokéball. We had been taught about it somewhat, but only in passing mutters as even our teachers weren't too familiar with it.

"It is nothing," he hissed quietly, just barely audible enough for me to hear. "You do not have a physical form, everything is covered in a blanket of darkness and it is impossible to move anywhere. You do not feel hunger or the need for sleep, but you can still _think_. Your conscience is still aware while your body has been reduced to nothing but digital data."

He was on the verge of tears, his bottom lip quivering under his top fangs as he tried so hard to stop himself from breaking down. I had no idea it was so empty like that. The common depictions of the inside of a Pokéball were habitats that the species was native to, almost like a tiny world that they could have to themselves. Fields for the Ponyta to run, a river for the Barboach to swim, a limitless sky for Swellow to soar. I was certain that the scientists who developed Pokéballs spread this false message so that the public would be ignorant to where they were actually sending their Pokémon.

"For short spells, being like this is nice. It is a respite from the outside world where you can rest and collect your thoughts. You do not need to exert yourself and can recover from any stress that you have been feeling. It is peaceful. I imagine that most other Pokémon relish the chance to relax in their Pokéballs for a time."

"But it must get incredibly lonely if you're in there for a while," I finished, wanting to complete his thought before he had a chance to say it himself. It wasn't just to prove that I was paying attention to him, but Wren was close to breaking down again and I wanted to carry some of the load of the conversation.

"Yes," he sighed, looking back down at me with tired eyes. He looked grateful that I was still following along with his words. "With nothing left to do, I chose to ponder life's questions that would only plague philosophers. Who are we, really? What is our purpose? Those mysteries are what I focused my time on."

I had never met a Pokémon who was even remotely like this. Sure, some species possessed a great intelligence and Julian was a testament to how human-like they could become, but this was on a completely different level. Most Pokémon were just happy to live out their lives either in the wild or in the company of a trainer, focused on battling and wondering when the next feeding time was, but this Sneasel acted like that was all just a lie. I thought back to his words in our first encounter, how he called the wild ones 'savages' with so much venom that it was scary.

"I clung onto my intellect – my ability to reason, as it was the only thing that stopped me from just becoming… black," he admitted, clutching at his chest as if he was having a heart attack. "While I never came to concrete answers to any of these impossible questions, it was possibly the only thing that kept me sane in those gruelling hours. What else would you do if thinking was the only thing left that made you feel like a Pokémon?"

That struck a chord with me. The way he worded that last question sounded so entirely human that I was convinced that the general masses had been going about this all wrong. Some lesser-informed people would spout nonsense that we are the greatest species since Pokémon cannot think for themselves. Humans have a sense of 'self' and that's what some would say sets us apart from our Pokémon counterparts. Some would even go as far to shout from the rooftops that the only reason Pokémon exist is because of humans training them.

I put a hesitant hand on Wren's shoulder, feeling his freezing fur bristle against my fingers. He didn't jump backwards or brush me away, but his posture softened as I consoled him. I was barely even viewing this Sneasel as a Pokémon now, as in my eyes he had earned every right to stand on the same level as the rest of us. His problems were complex than most were ever likely to face, but it looked as if they shaped him. The way he spoke, the way he held himself and his outlook were all crafted from his time alone in that Pokéball.

"How did you end up here in Hoenn?" I asked, still rubbing at his shoulder warily. I was enamoured by his body temperature, as it was cold enough to make the hair on my arm stand on end while also not being unpleasant to touch.

"Just before piloting a flight out of this region, he must have decided that I was not worth even keeping locked up and he… crushed my Pokéball," he said with a tone that was no longer sharp and biting but defeated, almost emotionless. "He told me that it would be better for the both of us and I would have more of a life than I ever had with him."

"Oh, Wren… I'm so sorry," I replied. Even though I was trying to keep up the persona of an understanding psychologist, the image of Wren witnessing his own Pokéball be destroyed shook me. Without really paying attention to what I was doing, I pulled him by the shoulder into a chilly hug. He needed physical support just as much as emotional at this point.

He started to shake in my embrace. To my surprise, I felt glacial claws wrap their way around my back as he leaned his head into my chest. His head feather was tickling my nose and I felt like my blood was about to freeze, but I only tightened my grip around him. I heard hushed sobs muffled by my shirt, but they weren't the panicked ones from yesterday. This was him letting all those pent-up emotions flow out with his tears.

"I was left to wander unknown areas… and I did things that I am not proud of," he cried, looking up me with soft eyes. His tears were glimmering in the sunlight, almost like they had crystallised when they encountered his numbing skin. He sniffed quietly after speaking, guiltily avoiding my eyes.

"You don't have to think about these things anymore," I consoled, somehow getting more accustomed to his arctic temperature. It was almost sobering and refreshing, like drinking a freezing-cold glass of water on a sweltering summer's day. "You found this place, and we're happy to let you stay here for as long as you want."

We sat in each other's embrace for what felt like hours. Neither of us said a word, and the only noise that I could hear was Wren's muffled sobs and sniffles. He kept a deathly-tight grip on me like he was afraid of being pulled away at any moment, and I solemnly looked out onto the horizon. Various other ranch Pokémon dotted around the hillsides went about their day without a care, while this troubled Sneasel poured his heart out in my arms.

Eventually, the Sneasel's soft sobbing subsided and was replaced with erratic breathing. He was shaking intensely, like he still had more crying to do but was trying to hold it back with everything he had. He reminded me of myself, in a way. I had definitely been there before, and it was almost like I was holding a younger version of myself. He cleared his throat weakly and lifted his head so he could look at me.

"Alex, I…" he paused in between strained breaths. "I think I want to stay with you."

Wow. Just like that? I was preparing to work up the courage to ask him whether he wanted to be under my care or not, and I would never have expected that he would be the one to actively make that decision all by himself. But it made sense, with the way that he was gripping me so tight. I must have been like a beacon of light in a sea of darkness for him.

"Are you sure, Wren?" I asked. I wasn't trying to dissuade him from joining me, but it seemed like he was being a little too forward, especially since his past with trainers was so horrible. I would have expected him to be extremely wary from all trainers after what he had to endure.

"You are the first person that I have encountered who bothered to interact with me," he said, finally letting go of my midsection and propping himself against the tree. The fur around his eyes was matted, and a dribble of snot was running from his tiny, black nose. "I have been deprived of stimulus for so long, I almost forgot what it was like to have a conversation with someone."

Now that I thought about it, the reason he was so trusting was because he didn't really know any better. If he had honestly been inside that Pokéball for weeks at a time, then there must have been plenty of things that he had no clue about. His trainer never let him explore on his own, never took him anywhere, never explained anything to him. If anything, he needed someone that he could rely on to show him all of things that he had missed out on. He probably felt vulnerable alone.

"…okay, Wren," I said finally, after an awkward silence hung around in the air. I couldn't say no to this Pokémon, no matter what. Not after what I had learned. "I'll become your new trainer."

He looked at me in total disbelief. His eyes glittered like a ray of light shining upon a slab of ice. His refined demeanour started to falter as he stumbled over his words like they were a physical wall in front of him. Usually, he had a response to everything but my answer had truly caught him off guard. He had just stopped crying and it looked like he was already beginning to tear up again.

I would make it my duty to treat him better than his old trainer did. If he just were to stay at the ranch as a permanent resident, then he would never get the chance to see the things he seemed to desperately crave. The only way he could have a happy life was to have someone by his side, able to ponder the same questions that seemed to gravitate towards him. He deserved better than what he had. He deserved me.

"I know it won't be easy for you," I added, looking straight into his pitch-black pupils. "But I'm willing to do all that I can to make you feel comfortable."

"Alex, I don't know what to say…" he spluttered, finally managing to overcome his shock. It must have been the first time that he had abbreviated a word, and it sounded completely foreign in his voice. I was already too familiar with his strict manner of speaking.

"It's okay, Wren," I smiled genuinely, trying to refrain from pulling him into another hug. Even though he was a scruffy dark type with a sharp tongue, there was something oddly cute about him that I couldn't place. Perhaps it was how dishevelled he seemed to look.

"May I just spend a final day by myself?" he asked, after taking a deep breath to collect his feelings. I hadn't realised it until now, but the reason he had been so on edge was because he had been worrying that I might not accept him. "I still require a little time to calm down after all that has happened in these past hours."

"Sure, whatever you need," I nodded, finally able to look at this peculiar Sneasel as my own Pokémon. Somehow, I had managed to adopt two wildly distinct species with extremely differing personalities in just one day. Maybe I was the Pokémon Whisperer. "I'll be sure to get everything sorted out before I come to collect you tomorrow."

"You have my thanks, Alex," he said, giving me the widest smile I had ever seen from him. His large, chipped fangs made it a little lopsided but it had so much sincerity that I couldn't help but give him a large smile in return. "I will repay you in some way soon."

* * *

After we had exchanged our particularly heartfelt goodbyes, I began the walk back to the lodge while trying to contain my excitement. I felt a mixture of unease and giddiness, as caring for Wren and Eloise wouldn't be easy, but my life was going through a massive change right before my eyes. It wasn't all set in stone yet, but once I acquired my licence I would be a fully-fledged Pokémon Trainer. I wondered what my family would think of it.

It felt like barely any time had passed when I reached the entrance to the building that I was becoming so familiar with. It was quickly becoming like a second home and I figured that I would be spending more time than my actual house. I squinted my eyes as I risked a glance up at the position of the sun to check how far along we were in the day, and it was resting leisurely in the middle of the sky. The others would definitely be on their break by now, and I felt like it was time for some much-needed human interaction.

Stepping into the warm living room confidently, I spied Hannah sprawled over the couch with a snoozing Swablu cuddled into her chest. They were both totally asleep, with Hannah's slow breathing making Eloise rise and fall in time with the chest movements. I could hear Brandon and Katie bickering over the strength of the coffee in the kitchen, the former's tone being more light-hearted and joking compared to Katie's shrill condemnation. Julian wasn't in his usual space, probably standing behind Katie like an eternal bodyguard.

I was surprised that Hannah could even fall asleep with all the noise, but she was probably exhausted enough to fall asleep just about anywhere. Against my better judgement, I couldn't help but – somewhat creepily – admire the woman sleeping in front of me. She looked so peaceful, with such a neutral expression. I was used to the smirk she always had so seeing her like this was pretty strange. It was like she was a drunk teen passed out on the couch at a friend's party, with how heavily she was sleeping.

Apparently, Eloise was a much lighter sleeper than my diligent co-worker as I could barely react before she began to squawk excitedly at my presence. I hadn't even noticed that she was awake as I was too absorbed in looking at Hannah. I brought up my hands and frantically shook my head to try and quiet her down, but the damage was already done.

"Hmm… heya, soldier…" Hannah slurred with eyes half-closed as she tried to pick herself off of the couch. One of the straps on her tank top had slid down past her shoulder, and as she gave me a lazy smile it really hit the image of a reckless teen home. "How'd things with Wren go…?"

Eloise scrambled off of her until she was hopping from claw-to-claw in front of me. I knelt down to shower her with attention while still keeping my eyes on Hannah. It was quite hard to juggle a normal conversation while you had an energetic Swablu nipping at your heels, and I imagined that this was what parents felt like with young children. I had no idea how Hannah could deal with so many juvenile Pokémon.

"Somehow, I'm his trainer now," I replied, rubbing my neck in embarrassment. I had no idea while I was feeling so ashamed, but to me anyway, it looked like I was biting off more than I could chew. I had only been introduced to Pokémon properly a couple days ago, and now I was going and adopting two of my own.

"Nice," she yawned, giving me a shaky thumbs-up. She rubbed at her eyes with her free hand and looked around the lodge to get her bearings again. It was quite concerning that it looked like she had just woken up from a twelve-hour sleep even though it had only been a small nap. "Take it from me, it's good to get variety with the types of Pokémon that you train."

"I'll be taking him in tomorrow, so I'll have time to get my proper trainer's license by then," I informed, throwing myself onto the couch next to Hannah with a restless Swablu squirming in my lap. It seemed like she didn't enjoy all of my attention focused on the girl next to me, but she would just have to learn that the world didn't revolve around her. All new Pokémon were probably like that.

"Just don't tell the people at the trainer's registration that you're planning on banging any Pokémon that you come across," she laughed, fixing her ruffled hair and finally re-adjusting her fallen strap. "Those corporate cronies don't take too kindly to it."

I had an urge to cover Eloise's ears like you would do with a child who had just heard a naughty word. She seemed too absorbed in my petting to be really listening to what Hannah was saying anyway, so it looked like we were in the clear. I would have to bring up the whole subject with her soon, but that could wait until she was settled in with me. I wanted to tell myself that wasn't a reason why I had got her. For my sanity.

"Pokémon aren't the only things I'll be banging y'know," I replied with a laugh of my own. I couldn't help but flash back to the kiss she had planted on my cheek, then her dripping form covered only by a towel, and the whispering she had done earlier in my ear. You could practically cut the sexual tension in the air between us with a knife. "You're making it sound like I'm not interested in my own species."

"What are you interested in then…?" she implied, giving me a sultry smile that I had only seen a couple hours previous. This time, it didn't feel like she was teasing for the sake of making me feel uncomfortable. There wasn't a hint of jest in her eyes, but something else way dirtier. Could we really?

Before I could reply, the argument between my two other co-workers had apparently ended with Katie being declared the winner. Brandon emerged first, with his usual smile like he hadn't just been berated by her. It scared me that Katie could hold her own in argument against someone who would just nod and smile back without much of a fight. Then came the other two and before I knew it, the living room was filled with activity again.

"Alex… would you mind letting me see Eloise for a few minutes?" Katie pleaded, practically getting on her knees in front of me. Julian scowled, likely sick of all the attention that my new partner was getting. He put on such a manly façade that it was hard to think of him as someone who enjoyed cuddling.

" _I'm just in tune with my feelings, is all,"_ he projected immediately, and I didn't even need to look at him to tell that he was folding his arms. There was nothing wrong with a guy who liked being under his girlfriend's thumb, and I was in no position to judge him in any way. " _You're lucky that you saved me yesterday, or else I wouldn't stand for this type of slander."_

"Sure, Katie," I agreed, giving Eloise a final ruffle on the head before I lifted her off of me. My lap felt like I had just been resting a hot thermos on it, and her clouds retained so much warmth that it was astounding. It made sense since even though she was an avian Pokémon, she didn't have that many feathers to speak of.

"I get to play with so many new people now that I'm with you, Alex!" Eloise exclaimed with a final, cheerful look back at me before jumping into Katie's arms. My co-worker looked so pleased with herself, like she had just got away with a robbery and was holding a bag of money in her hands instead of a Pokémon. I guess it was a fair trade since I had spent some time with Leilana yesterday, and she was only wanting to play with mine instead of the more immoral acts that I had committed.

Hannah left her space beside me and began to walk slowly toward her bedroom. It made me curious what it was like, and I couldn't help but imagine a room filled to the brim with different flavours of lollipops. I supressed a smirk and left her to whatever business she had, turning my attention back to the woman who was currently playing peekaboo in the corner with my new Pokémon.

I was conflicted on when was the best time to tell them about Wren. Julian most definitely knew and was keeping it quiet either for my sake, or just because he was bitter about everything that had happened between them. I wasn't worried that they would freak out or anything, but the situation was still pretty awkward. Brandon would probably smile and congratulate me like nothing had changed, but Katie was a different case. She had witnessed what Wren had done, and I already knew that she cared a great deal about the Pokémon that she cared for. Wren was responsible for hurting her boyfriend, and she likely wouldn't think too highly of a Pokémon like that.

"So, Alex, what are you planning to do now that you own a Pokémon?" Brandon questioned, his eyes warm and accepting. His face looked like the very embodiment of joy itself, and it made me wonder whether he even knew how to express another emotion. "I know that you won't go on a massive journey since you're working here now, but a whole bunch of options have opened up to you!"

He was right. Even though I had only wanted to own one just for the simple reason of companionship, there was now so many different things that I could do. Battling was something Eloise wanted to do, and I had promised myself to take Wren to see the things that he had never gotten the chance to. Going on a journey wasn't really my style, but I could see myself taking small trips whenever I got the chance. It was much safer to go off the beaten path now that I had a Pokémon with me, and maybe it was just the new Alex speaking, but going out and seeing the sights sounded like a good idea.

"I wouldn't mind going some places and seeing what wild Pokémon are around…" I thought aloud, the idea sounding better and better as soon as it escaped my life. This was my chance to not only experience Pokémon in their natural habitats which would help with work, but it would fulfil my desire to get the whole trainer experience that I was so jealous of. "Not actual traveling of course, but if I got the time I'd like to do some exploring around the area."

"That was what I did as well!" he grinned, looking pleased that we shared some common ground. I could imagine him hiking up some mountains just to see what was there, since his physique definitely told me he had spent years on the move in various ways. "I wasn't as serious about traveling around like Katie was, but I know a few good spots around here that would probably interest you."

Brandon was probably the person I had spent the least time with, so I wouldn't mind getting to know him in a place that wasn't directly related to work. More importantly, I was finding people who shared the same interests as me. These weren't people who weren't seriously into pushing Pokémon to their limits, well Thomas and Hannah's pasts made them slight outliers, but they were just enjoying the fun that came with owning Pokémon.

"Sure, I'd love to!" I agreed, grinning back at the tanned worker. I felt all giddy that I was getting along so well with everyone, and we were even planning things to do together outside of work. I had definitely lucked out with the people here, but I guess it was more to do with Thomas' skill of picking people who were genuinely nice.

Before we could talk any further, I heard my name being called out from behind me. It was Hannah, who had shouted my name from inside her bedroom. I had no idea if she was just stringing me along and was going to jump out at me or something, or she had something genuine to show me. Either way, I was quick to jump to my feet and find out whatever it was she wanted me for.

Her door was ajar just slightly, not even enough for me to see into. I stopped in front of her room, with my back to the others. I hesitated on whether I should just enter or not, since this was where the woman I was crushing on slept and everything. It made me feel like an awkward teenager, but before I could make another move I watched as the door creaked open ominously. Why was she being so secretive?

Suddenly, I felt Hannah's hand wrap around mine and I was pulled forwards into her bedroom. Before I could even yelp, she pressed a finger softly to my lips and gave me a sultry grin. I instantly knew what she wanted. She was going to do this with Brandon and Katie standing right outside in the living room? If I was working anywhere else, that would be about the riskiest move you could ever make but she had likely done these spur-of-the-moment sessions countless times before without the others batting an eye.

Her room was dark. She had hung a purple blanket over the single, small window to block any light that tried to intrude into her hovel. It was incredibly cramped, with the giant queen-sized bed taking up most of the space. Her bedsheets were crumpled near the bottom, folded and twisted into a careless ball. I tripped over a discarded shirt that was on the floor as she dragged me with enough force that I thought she was going to rip off my arm.

"…are you sure we have time for this?" I asked warily, trying to ignore the blood that was rushing down to below my waist. Just the mere implication of what we were about to do was enough to set me off.

"Unless you've been cursed with an insatiable libido and stamina like Britney, then we should be fine," she grinned, apparently not deterred enough by the situation to stop cracking her jokes. I could see that her face was flushed a ticklish pink even in the dim light, and she chewed subtly on her bottom lip in anticipation.

"Fair enough," was all I managed to say before she pulled me into a kiss.

She didn't waste any time in being gentle. Her sweet tongue pushed its way into my mouth forcefully as she wrapped her arms around my waist. The first thing that hit me was the dark taste of cherry, no doubt a remnant of a lollipop she had been sucking on earlier. It was almost as overpowering as her tongue, pushing me into compliance as I opened my lips for her.

We tumbled forwards onto the bed, our lips still locked together. Neither of us had any intention of breaking our embrace as our tongues wrestled for dominance. My mind was in a haze and I had never experienced a kiss so passionate before. She was an expert, stopping to nibble softly on my lip as I moaned. One of her hands was placed firmly on the back of my head, playing with my scruffy hair as the other fumbled around looking for the zipper on my jeans. She finally broke the kiss with an embarrassed chuckle.

"Never was good with finesse in the heat of the moment," she looked up at me, purposefully widening her eyes and putting on an innocent smile. The pink fringe of her pixie cut dangled adorably as it obscured one of her eyes.

I supressed a shudder as it suddenly hit me just how much I wanted to bend her over this bed and make her scream, but my confidence wasn't exactly all there just yet. We could save that for the second time around, and for right now I wanted to make our encounter special. She deserved it. I decided I was going to try my hardest to pay her back for all that she had done for me.

"Happens to the best of us," I retorted, quickly unzipping my jeans before I dived back down onto her. I returned the favour by nibbling on her neck, just barely missing one of her tattoos with my mouth as I suckled on her soft skin. It probably wasn't the first lovebite she had gotten, but I wanted to show Katie and Brandon what I was made of.

Even though she was beginning to writhe under me, her steady hand snaked its way into my jeans and tugged at the opening in my boxers. She was only making contact through the fabric, but it was enough to make me fully hard just in anticipation. I heard her give a little snicker that would usually warrant a snarky response, but she stopped me in my tracks by freeing my erect member from my boxers and taking it in her hand. I could feel myself throb against her bare skin as I finally stopped sucking on her neck.

"Looks bigger now that I can see it up close," she taunted, drawing her light fingertips across the surface of my shaft. Her tone was playful as usual, but I took notice of the lust in her eyes as she looked down at my manhood. She had been wanting this just as much as I had.

"You never quit, even when we're like this," I whispered, trying to keep my composure under the intense teasing she was performing. She never wrapped her hand fully around me, but would only use her fingers to brush against my shaft or head. It was difficult even to think of words as she was entrancing me using solely one hand.

"Make me quit," she moaned, finally dropping the teasing and grasping at my full length. I instinctively bucked my hips forwards into her waiting hand as she began to pump my dick up and down.

I leaned in for another kiss, this time plunging my tongue as deep as I could into her mouth. She stopped pleasuring me for a second as she gave a surprised yelp, but soon leaned forwards into me for another round of wrestling. I didn't even notice, but she had begun to take off her leggings with her spare hand. I followed her lead, breaking the kiss only for a split second to throw my shirt to the side. We were getting feverish now that we had more skin contact with each other.

Soon, after awkwardly pausing for me to wriggle out of my jeans and for her to unclip her bra, we were both left with nothing but each other. I could finally see what was only just hidden with a towel a few hours earlier. Surprisingly, she didn't have that many tattoos other than the ones that were completely noticeable before. I had expected her to have ones that were a bit closer to her chest, but the pale skin was left completely bare.

Her breasts were small and perky, complimenting her skinny stature perfectly. I couldn't help but stare at them in awe, making her blush as she pushed them together with her hands. Her nipples were already erect, and I was going to make a joke about how they were similar in colour to her hair, but it was like she could already tell what I was going to say and pulled me into a hug. My ear was pressed against her mouth, so much so that I could hear every breath and tiny moan as she prepared herself for what was to come. It drove me wild.

"Come on, Alex," she pleaded, her hands running down my back. I could feel her painted nails leave faint scratches as she followed the curve of my spine. They eventually stopped, digging into the skin painfully. "Fuck me."

With that, I positioned myself so that my cock was poking at her entrance. Her folds rubbed against my head as she shivered, and instead of plunging myself deep into her like I had done with Leilana, I slowly entered inch-by-inch. My dick was enveloped with increasing warmth as I carefully made a thrust that was several seconds long. I let a long groan escape my lips as her wet pussy parted for me. I could feel her walls press against me as she tensed.

She was tight. I expected her to be just a little loose with all the fucking she had done in the past, with Pokémon like Pangoro no less. Despite that, my dick fit snugly inside the girl that I had fallen for. I pushed myself to the hilt inside of her, stopping for a few painstaking moments to let myself throb against her insides.

And then, just as she had let herself get settled, I gave a thrust that shook her to the core. Her head whipped against mine as she writhed under me, her hands moving further down my back. She was trying to push my hips forward even more as her palms pressed up against my ass, parting my cheeks unceremoniously and exposing my backdoor to nobody, thankfully. I would never have thought it would turn me on, but as she spurred me to go even deeper it only added fuel to the fire.

My thrusts fell in time with our staggered breaths, and I lifted my head to watch as my hips rocked her body. Her eyes were tightly closed and her mouth was wide open, making every breath she took turn into a heavy moan. Upon looking at her, I felt something that was entirely different from the time with Leilana, or any other girl for that matter. It was Hannah. I was having sex with Hannah. I wasn't sure if she saw things the same way, but there was a passion that was indescribable.

By this point, she had stopped pushing my hips with her hands and instead was propping up her own legs, allowing me to reach the deepest possible place inside of her. It was an electric feeling, every single area of our bodies that were touching were aflame with pleasure. I stopped gazing at her and instead went in for another lustful kiss. Her breasts pushed against my chest as I pressed down into her, both of us wanting to be engulfed in each other.

Somehow, we were rocking the massive bed up against the wall, adding another loud sound to the symphony we were creating. Both of our muffled moans mingled with the slapping sound which was drowned out by the banging of the bed. I didn't care if they could hear us. In fact, I wanted them to hear us. Everything about Hannah in this moment, her scent, her messy pink hair dripping with alluring sweat, the feel of her pussy quivering with nervous excitement drove me crazy.

She broke the kiss this time, opening her eyes to greet mine. They were fiery and wild, wanting so badly for release. She bit on her lip as her eyebrows furrowed in pleasure. I retorted with a sly smile that had a totally different meaning from what it usually did. This wasn't the smile we would normally use. This was one to say that 'you're mine.'

We didn't have to use words. There was an incredible understanding that we both had in that split moment where our eyes met. The soft blue in her eyes was like a shimmering stream that I seemed to lose myself in. I was drowning in her, but I didn't want to come up for more air. I was content to entirely devote myself to this girl that I had only met a couple days previously. It was blissful, and I never wanted the inevitably of our orgasms to ever come. We could just stay on our break forever, entangled together with no end in sight.

One hand that I was using to support my weight lifted to brush a stray hair out of her face, my thrusts only grew more powerful as I made up for the lack in stability. The room was intensely hot, and I could feel the feverish sweat dripping down from me and onto her stomach. She was bright red, no longer even close to the shade that her hair was. I could barely breathe, but even though the danger of passing out was serious, I risked my life for another sloppy kiss.

This was it. I could feel her movements growing more and more frantic, her tongue barely even managing to keep up with mine. There was my own burning sensation that was rising that I also had to consider, and it dawned on me that I wouldn't be able to keep up with this forever. I sped up with as much force that I could muster, wanting so badly to feel her shudder and accept all that I had. The times that we had ended a kiss were countless now, but I would remember this one for the rest of my life.

"Inside me, Alex," she moaned, wrapping her shaking legs around me as her arms found their way to my back again. Her words were barely audible over all the noise we were making, and she was completely breathless. Her grip was either loosened by her oncoming orgasm or by the amount we were both sweating, but she tried as hard as she could to hold onto me.

My legs grew weak. Every sensation that I had felt in our lovemaking was hitting me tenfold. I couldn't think anymore, there was no more pondering about the situation to be done. I couldn't appreciate how cute her face was right now as I was only focused on the command that she had given me. In my pleasure-induced stupor, I said the words that I had been thinking the entire time but had been too nervous to say.

"I- love you, Hannah!" I groaned, somehow finding my mental bearings enough to string together a sentence. There was no way that I would have ever said it otherwise, and in the heat of the moment it gave me the confidence to realise the feeling that I couldn't place earlier. This was different from the other times. Was this what Katie had meant when she explained romantic attraction to me?

"Oh Arceus, I love you too!" she screamed, slamming her arms onto the bed as she couldn't take it anymore. She pushed her pelvis up with the last of her strength, shivering and shuddering with so much force it looked dangerous. Her eyes were tightly closed, but I didn't need to see them to understand that she was telling the truth.

Her walls tightened as she came, ushering the onset of my own orgasm. My head was spinning as I jolted forwards, almost headbutting her. I breathed a disjointed mess of moans and groans as I exploded inside of her, letting out all that I had. It lasted for several seconds, way longer than I was accustomed to. I was involuntarily thrusting all the way through, finding it impossible to stop. If Julian could feel what it was like in my head when I came, then I imagined he would be on the floor right now.

I fell onto her, just barely registering her reply to my accidental confession. We were panting heavily, and I could hear her heart almost bursting out of her chest. I could feel myself drifting off into sleep like a Jigglypuff was singing to me, but the realisation that she had the same feelings that I did kept me awake. Hannah's arms wrapped around me not with passion, but with a gentleness that I had never experience before. Like I was a newly hatched Pokémon. It wasn't the way you would hold a co-worker who you just wanting a quick fling with on your break.

We lay there for what seemed like an eternity, content with just holding each other. There was a lot that I still didn't know about Hannah, and I had a feeling like I had just scraped the tip of the iceberg when it came to her. But from the little I had seen, I wanted to be with her. I didn't care what her past relationship with Thomas was like, I would help her through anything that she was feeling awkward with. I was the psychologist after all, if I could work my magic on Pokémon then surely it would work with people too.

Our words to each other still hung in the air, and for some reason I got the feeling that my life was taking a completely different turn than I expected when I picked up that phone. This was just the beginning of what would be a life filled with dubious sexual encounters, killing time with eccentric co-workers, and of course, Hannah. I couldn't be readier for all of this with her by my side. She was playing weakly with my matted hair as my face was pressed into her chest, and I let out a hushed chuckle.

"What's so funny?" she asked, laughing lightly herself.

"Just thinking about the workout I'll get from all the sex I'm gonna be doing."


	7. Starting Small

"So, what is it with you and lollipops?" I asked, now suitably dressed and sitting on the side of Hannah's bed. My clothes were slightly more dishevelled than before, and my hair was quite a mess. My knees were still weak and I wanted so badly to just lie down with her again, but we still had our jobs to do.

She let out a hushed chuckle as she paused from pulling up one of her bright pink socks. She cleaned up way better than I did, and it looked like she had just been sleeping instead of romping around the sheets with someone else. Her pixie cut was permanently ruffled, so she just looked normal compared to the matted mop that was atop my head. Maybe I should get a haircut.

"Back when I was younger and still experimenting with Britney in secret…" she began with a smile, barely able to contain her laughter. "I'd use them so my parents would only notice the cherry or whatever on my breath instead of my Buneary. Those were dire days."

"Smart," I noted, impressed at her inventiveness. People could be so sneaky when they were trying to hide their taboo poképhile relationships. There would be no way I could face my own mother ever again if she found out what I was doing. "So, it just became a habit after that?"

"Yeah. It took me years to notice I was still doing it even though I had moved out ages ago," she smiled, brandishing the lollipop at me like a weapon to emphasise her point. This one was bright green, probably apple or pear. I admired that she didn't stick to one flavour all the time, and I was looking forward to tasting all those different lollipops on her tongue. "It's better than smoking a cigarette in the afterglow of fucking someone, I guess."

"Sugar _is_ pretty bad for you," I joked, finally able to stand up on my own without feeling like I was going to keel over. Our little escape to her bedroom had taken a lot out of me, and the recovery period was a long and arduous process. Hopefully I would improve over time.

"Since when are you a moral authority on what I should be putting in my body?" she retorted, giving her hair a haphazard brush in front of her mirror that was propped up against her dresser. I could have sworn that I saw slivers of blonde roots when she was parting her hair back, and it only just now occurred to me that she must have had a natural hair colour.

"As long as it's more of me from now on, you can do whatever you want," I laughed, stupidly proud of how well I was bantering with the girl in front of me. I had always had a hard time talking to women, even guys at some points too, but we just seemed to click together really well.

"Speaking of that…" she turned around to face me, but her eyes were directed to the purple carpet below. The hesitance was clear on her face as she chewed on the remnants of the lollipop. "Right at the end there, did you mean… what you said, with the whole 'I love you' thing?"

There was that nervousness that I was doing so well to avoid. I had hoped that I could just live without it for a day, but my chest tightened up and my throat constricted like they were both taunting me. In the moment, it was easy for me to admit my feelings, but now that I wasn't entirely thinking with my dick things weren't exactly black and white. I had better answer her. Any longer and it would look weird.

"Yeah, I did," I admitted, joining her in staring directly at the shaggy carpet below us. I didn't notice it before, but it looked like her whole wardrobe was just strewn around the floor. Bras, underwear and shirts littered the area like she had just thrown everything behind her when she was looking for something that she wanted to wear. "… I think you're special, Hannah."

We finally made eye contact again. She had a small, sincere smile, one so different from the lopsided smirk she would often show me. She awkwardly fidgeted with a frayed hem on her shirt as she looked shyly over at me, and in that moment, I could feel my heartbeat quicken. Should I have said it like that? What if she didn't think of me in the same way? I might have gone and just ruined everything with her.

Before I knew it, she had pulled me into a tight hug. I was left to stare at the blank wall as Hannah clung onto me, her thin arms powerfully holding me in place. She was leaning on me, and I could feel how tense she was. The room was silent, and I couldn't even hear any commotion outside in the living room. It was strange to see her so vulnerable, so dainty, so… normal.

"I'm not good with all this, uh… sappy stuff," she admitted into my wrinkled shirt, so quietly that I could barely hear what she was saying. Her voice was high and hushed, like a child who was trying not to wake their parents up late at night. "You're different from most people I've come across, Alex. I haven't felt like this about someone in a while… so, I guess, goddamn, I want to be with you."

This all just had to be a dream, and I was still sleeping by my lonesome. In fact, this whole ranch business had felt like just one huge hallucination. I had been so unhappy just alone in my bedroom, not having any contact with anyone for weeks. I had went from someone who was afraid of sunlight to someone who was professing their love for a snarky girl with bright pink hair, starting their life as a trainer. Who even needed therapy?

"I'm guessing that I'm gonna be seeing a lot more of this room," I smirked, trying my hardest to lighten the mood. Just like she said, Hannah looked to be much happier when things weren't too serious, and I wasn't sure whether there was a deeper meaning behind it all or not.

"Damn right," she whistled, letting me go with a final squeeze. She looked immensely thankful that I didn't dwell on all the 'sappy' stuff, and the flash of vulnerability I had seen from her was quickly replaced by her familiar smarmy grin. "For now though, we should probably do the jobs we're getting paid for."

"You've got a point there," was all I managed to say before she pulled me out of bedroom in the same manner she had lured me in.

* * *

Leaving Eloise safely in the paws of Hannah's Minccino, I was now free to start working for the first time. I didn't count my interactions with Wren as purely professional now, as I had somehow twisted that into a more personal affair. I just hoped it wouldn't go like that with every Pokémon I came across, because I was already going miles away from my comfort zone in terms of training. Maybe once I got my license I would start feeling a little more confident.

I had decided to walk towards the hill that Esther was roosting on, since that was the area of the ranch I was most familiar with. It would be easier to meet all the Pokémon closest to the lodge and then work my way to the outskirts. Even though autumn was slowly approaching, the sun hung high in the sky with fervent determination. I couldn't help but stop and smell the scent of freshly cut grass as I paused to survey the hills around me.

My days as a Pokémon psychologist were finally beginning, and the realisation that I had no formal training was sitting like a stone in my stomach. From what I could gather of Thomas' vague hints, he wanted me to just… talk to the ranch residents about their stay here. I could already tell things wouldn't be as simple as that, and if being a Pokémon psychologist was anything like being a regular one, I would be trying to assist various species with their problems. I would need to be a wise teacher, a shoulder to cry on and an optimistic friend all at the same time, to Pokémon that I had never met before. Start small, Alex.

"… you just gonna stand in the middle of the path here all day, bud?"

I was brought out of my panicked thinking by a threatening, gruff voice growling from behind me. I whirled around and was met with an intimidating Houndoom. His tired, red eyes glared through me and his overall satanic visage made me shrink down at his presence. I had seen him earlier with Hannah, but I didn't realise how scary he looked up close. His whip-like tail lashed behind him as he begrudgingly awaited a response.

"Oh, uh, sorry, I was just uh, thinking about some things," I spluttered, trying to clear the way for the hellhound. I was hoping to meet a species that was easy to talk to, like a Linoone, but instead I had bumped into this guy. So much for starting small.

"Not seen you around here before," he mused, tightening his red muzzle while snorting out a plume of black ash that seemed to corrupt the very air around him. "Thomas took in another kid, huh?"

He had no intention of moving past me now. I had no clue how to respond to this standoffish dog, as every time I looked him in the eye all the morbid facts about his species was all I could think about. Their fire attacks would leave burn scars that would never stop hurting. Their eerie howls would even bring a grown man to tears. They would savagely hunt in packs, playing with their prey in several ways before finally ending them.

"S'rude to just stare like that," he growled, baring his fangs at me in a firm warning. It was easy to notice the fire light inside him, his throat glowing like the last embers of a roaring fire.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude!" I hurriedly replied, praying for anyone to come and save me. I would even take Julian's mocking right now if he could just come and pick me up from this dire situation. "Y-Yes, I'm new here."

"You got a name?" he asked, glowing wisps of flame dancing around his yellowed fangs as he spoke. I could feel the warmth from his breath, even though I was standing a few feet away. I never had much experience with the more volatile types of Pokémon, like fire or poison, and I noted just how truly potent they seemed to be.

"It's Alex!" I yelped, failing to keep my composure. I was beginning to sweat, either from nerves or from the intense heat I was enduring. Just when I was starting to feel at home here, I realised that I had still had a long way to go before I could call myself a worker at the ranch. How did the others do this all day?

"Name's Amon," he growled, lowering his haunches somewhat but still glaring in my direction. I had never met a Pokémon who was so openly aggressive, and I was quaking in my boots like I was staring at death itself. "Calm yourself newblood, it's my job to look scary."

"Your job?" I parroted, wondering if I had just come across another Pokémon who played a vital role at the ranch. Julian had responsibilities of his own, but that was almost expected with his intelligence and humanoid stature. I had no idea what sort of part a Houndoom could play around here.

"I guard the front entrance for Thomas," he replied, straightening his posture militaristically. I had seen the same thing from Indra when he was first introduced to me, and it seemed that pride was a common theme that ran through canine species. "You never know who'll come knocking around these parts, so it's my job to make sure nobody's a threat to this business."

"So, you're one of Thomas' Pokémon?" I asked, slowly calming down from the fear that the Houndoom had instilled in me. My hands were still clenched like I was on a rollercoaster, but it helped to know that he had earned my boss' trust.

"Well, not exactly…" he let out a low chuckle, voice as gravelly as the pathway we were standing on. "Officially, yeah, he does own me. I'm not a member of his actual team though, my responsibilities lie here at the ranch rather than with him."

"But did Thomas catch you?" I questioned, not understanding what he was trying to say. I had only ever come across Pokémon who were blatantly connected to their trainers, and I wasn't even aware that there was a grey area.

"Course he did, but he made it clear to me beforehand that I would be helping around the ranch rather than being some house pet," Amon clarified, a small smile rippling across his muzzle. It seemed like he enjoyed having a purpose here that wasn't just for egg creation like the rest of the ranch inhabitants. "Thomas owns more than half the ranch Pokémon here since he has a breeding license."

I had never even heard of such a thing. It was an unspoken rule that most trainers stopped obtaining any new Pokémon after their sixth, since caring for any more than that would be physically impossible for most people. But from the sounds of things, Thomas owned a hell of a lot more than that. A breeding license must have allowed him to ignore that rule, and he definitely had the space to accommodate more than six. It sounded like Amon belonged to the ranch more than his actual trainer.

"Look kid, ask the big man yourself if you're so interested," he said, and I couldn't even remember the last time that someone referred to me as a 'kid'. This Houndoom did seem a lot older than me, and the experience he had was clear with the way he stood. One of his horns was cracked slightly, and the skin on his legs was pulled taut across the bones.

"Oh yeah, uh, I'm the new psychologist around here," I stated, thinking it was necessary for him to know. It would make my job much easier if some of the Pokémon could spread my name around rather than me trying to find them all individually. "So, if you need help with anything like that, or know someone who does, could you send them my way?"

"A shrink, huh?" he grinned, although the expression was nowhere near carefree. It was almost malicious, close to a sneer that you would see from a supervillain in a cheesy film. "You've sure got your work cut out for you here."

"What do you mean by that…?" I shivered, recoiling slightly at his ghastly smile. Surely Thomas hadn't set me up with a bunch of maligned Pokémon who would be impossible to talk to. I mean, what type of problems could plague them in the first place? I was more familiar with their innate behaviours than what mental problems they could have.

"Let's just put it like this…" he began while trotting closer to me. I fought the urge to run away as the satanic hound crept so close the heat from his breath was almost unbearable. "You'll be doing a lot more physical support than emotional."

The minute that he said it, I instantly remembered that this wasn't just a normal breeding ranch. I had been viewing my job like I was working somewhere normal… but I wasn't. I was a psychologist in a Pokémon ranch where the workers regularly had sex with the inhabitants. It wasn't just trained Pokémon like Leilana I would be cavorting with, but ones like Amon too.

"The word that you're new here, and that you're here to help, will spread quicker than wildfire," he predicted, looking immensely pleased with himself. "Sure, I'll send any horny ones who need some 'counselling' your way."

Before I even knew it, the Houndoom was gone from my sight, trotting down the path and kicking up gravel as he went. From the sounds of things, it was the Pokémon who instigated the sex way more than the workers. Somehow, Katie's job of 'playing' with the ranch residents sounded way less innocent now that I knew what went on around here. I had unintentionally just put myself out there.

Suddenly, like Arceus decided that I hadn't had enough interaction in the hour, Julian popped into existence right in front of me. Spots of pink light dissipated in all directions as he struck a confident pose, clearly proud of his teleportation skills. Even though he could be stoic at times, he was in such a cartoonish position that I couldn't help but laugh. He had opened up a lot since we had first met, and this was probably the true Julian I was looking at.

"I see you've met Amon," he snickered, no doubt noticing my nervous sweat and the heat that was still lingering in the air. "You'll get over how intimidating he is soon enough, I promise."

"I think I just accidentally let all the ranch Pokémon know that I'm down for sex," I laughed at the absurdity of it all, feeling at ease now that Julian was here. He was someone I could joke with and not worry about the consequences.

"Oh, don't worry, quite a few of them are already asking about you," he winked, beckoning for me to follow as he strode down the path in the same direction Amon was headed. We were roughly the same height, and he stood pretty tall for a Gallade. They were usually small and thin.

"So, is half the work here just satisfying the cravings of random Pokémon?" I asked with an exasperated sigh. I would need to build up my stamina to be on the level on the others, and I was entirely inexperienced with the poképhilia. Not to mention never being with a guy properly before.

"Basically, yeah," he admitted without shame. "Looks like you'll have no problems in the performance department if your time with Hannah is anything to go by."

"I swear to Arceus if you were looking through my eyes or some other psychic bullshit, I'll go ballistic," I rambled half-jokingly, giving him a harsh punch on the shoulder. I was surprised at how tough his muscles were, my first practically stopping dead in its tracks against his green skin.

"I didn't even need to be psychic to know what was going on, man," he replied, returning the favour with much more finesse. He needed to watch where his arm blades were pointed at all times, and I wondered if he ever thought they were annoying. Effective in combat sure, but a nuisance otherwise.

"Were we that loud?" I winced, thinking that Eloise may have been able to hear us. She looked to be engaged enough with Katie, but her hearing was probably better than most humans. I didn't want her asking what I was doing in that room until she was at least a couple weeks older.

"The lodge's soundproofing can only go so far, especially when her bed is slamming against the wall," he laughed, rubbing the back of his neck like he had learned that lesson the hard way. I had to duck slightly or else I would have been decapitated by the sharp elbow blades. "Oh yeah, I won't tell the others that you two are a thing for now. That sorta thing should be up to you guys."

Wow. Julian was actually keeping something a secret for once. I was still slightly wary about the situation with Wren, but he wasn't treating me any differently. I was afraid that he would shun me if I took in a Pokémon that had injured him pretty badly. He really was a good guy.

"Either way, I'm pretty impressed with you," he complimented. "Not many guys can keep up with Hannah, hell, even I was a little shaken afterwards and just look at me!"

Now that he gave me permission, intended or not, I took a long look at the Gallade to absorb all that I could. I had avoided looking at his crotch just out of courtesy, since he couldn't really wear anything to cover up his manhood. It was pretty ingrained in me to avoid looking at the dicks of random male Pokémon, but now it couldn't really be helped.

He was flaccid, but even still I could tell that he was definitely big. Since he was more humanoid than anything else, the shape of his shaft and head was exactly like a human's. The only odd thing was the colour, with the base being that same pure white colour that his stomach and legs were. The cock head was a deep green, like his upper body, and I took note of his complete lack of foreskin.

His lithe body was toned, and just because he could use psychic powers it was clear that he never shirked physical duties. His legs were thick with muscle, and while his arms were skinny, from my earlier punch I knew that there was a great amount of power behind them. I wondered what it would be like to be held by him, to be under him, to feel his… oh shit.

"When are you gonna learn that nothing gets past me, Alex?" he laughed, his broad chest rising and falling. The crimson triangle that was embedded in the middle shone in the sun, and was probably the same colour as my face as soon as I realised what I had just done.

"I can't help it!" I exclaimed, frustrated at how on top of everything he was. He was two steps ahead of me, and it was like he knew what I was doing to do before I even thought about doing it. "How am I supposed to just not think when I'm around you?"

"Did I say I have a problem with it?" he slyly asked, his green visor almost obscuring his red eyes. They looked through me with such intensity that it was obvious he was deep in my mind. "You don't have to keep your guard up all the time."

"No, but you've seen all this stuff about me, and you probably know that I'm not too experienced with guys, but I think you're attractive –" I spilled all my feelings, and now that it was in the open, it was clearly obvious that there was something between us. I flashed back to how flustered he got when I thanked him for staying close when I was unconscious.

"What would you think about me being your first…?" he threw the question into the air so blatantly I had to mentally replay what he had just said. "You're going to be doing it with a lot of male Pokémon now, so, better to be with someone that you know, right?"

"What, like right now?" I replied after a stunned silence hung in the air for a little too long. I really should have seen it coming with how casual he was being. He probably had sex multiple times a day, with Katie or without. This sort of thing was second nature to him.

"If you're feeling up to it, sure," he grinned while giving me a playful look, checking me out from head to toe. "I'll promise to take things slow so you don't get hurt or anything like that."

Of course, he was a top. I couldn't really imagine the prideful Gallade taking it from behind in any circumstance. I felt a little uneasy being at the mercy of a strong, psychic type when the most I had ever taken before was a couple fingers. I watched as he extended a hand towards me, green palm outstretched openly. Such a gentleman. Come on, Alex – he's being nice to you, just take his hand already.

Spurred on by my own conscience, I wrapped a nervous hand around the Gallade's and replied with a quiet "yes".

Before I knew it, my vision completely cut out. I thought that someone had snuffed out the sun and we had just been plunged into darkness, but as soon as it came, it was gone. The complete emptiness was replaced with tiny specks of pink energy flitting around my eyes as I resisted the urge to keel over. I was incredibly dizzy all of a sudden, and Julian's voice sounded like he was a mile away.

"You'll get used to teleporting eventually. First time is always a little rough."

I felt my feet finally hit land again as I teetered on them precariously. We were in a tiny building that I had never seen before, and I wondered whether we were even at the ranch anymore. Crates and boxes of numerous sizes littered the floor, and the room was poorly lit. I noticed that one of them had the logo of a popular Pokémon food company plastered over it, so we must have been in one of the storerooms stationed around the area.

"This is about as private as it'll get, I'm afraid," Julian said, giving me a small smile in recognition of the fact that it wasn't exactly glamorous. "The door is still locked, so nobody can come barging in unless they have a key."

"It'll do," I said simply, leaning on one of the crates for support. The room was still spinning slightly and my head was in a haze. It was crazy that Julian could just teleport not only himself, but other people he was touching, in what felt like an instant. He seemed to have it down like it was nothing special.

"So, shall we get to it?" he asked while looking at me seriously. My pulse was rising as I was about to do something that I had only thought about in passing. When you're a guy doing a girl, you don't really think much about how it'll feel for her, but now that I was only a few moments from taking Julian, from having something inside me, I would be lying if I said it wasn't a little scary.

Before I could answer, I felt something tugging at my waist. I looked down in bewilderment to witness my belt snaking its way out of the loops in my jeans, like it had suddenly gained sentience and was trying to escape from me. I was stunned, unable to move, as it rose away from my body and hung lazily in the air behind the Gallade. His eyes were glowing blue, like when we had first met.

"You really like to show off, don't you?" I sighed, feeling the tension leave the air. It wouldn't be Julian if he didn't take every chance to show how skilled he was. I had to remind myself that I wasn't doing it with some random Pokémon, but with one of my friends.

_"Just trying to lighten the mood a little,"_ he projected, and I figured that he switched to speaking mentally just because it made him more comfortable. His voice was deep and echoed, making me shiver with anticipation as I felt more than just my belt rising.

He was pulling at all of my clothes at once, and I lifted my arms to let my shirt slide off above me. It was amazing how he could do such things without even lifting a finger, and it only took a few seconds before I was standing in front of him wearing nothing at all. My belt, shirt, jeans, boxers, socks and shoes were all floating in the air like they were submerged in water. I would have felt exposed if not for the fact that Julian had technically been naked this whole time, and I felt a strange sense of comradery as we both stood there uncovered.

_"Never understood the point of clothes. They just get in the way."_

All of my clothes dropped to the floor, the shoes hitting off each other noisily in their descent. It created enough of a distraction that I didn't notice the Gallade drop to his knees along with them, and I couldn't help but jump back a little as he grasped at my dick enthusiastically. He just peered up at me with critical eyes.

_"I don't normally do stuff like this, but uh, I guess this is my way of saying thank you for saving me back then."_

Without wasting any time, Julian lurched forwards and enveloped me fully with his mouth. My toes curled with how quickly he was going to work, and it was a completely different sensation than with Leilana. When she could barely even take half of me in her mouth, the top of Julian's visor was pressing against my stomach as he pushed himself down to the base. It didn't take long before I was as hard as I could ever get, and I could hear the cocky psychic type chuckle ethereally in my mind.

_"I can still taste Hannah on you,"_ he noted as he began to savour me, his tongue curling around my length with ease. Even though he said that he wasn't very experienced in giving oral to guys, he could have convinced me that he was masterful at it. He sucked at the top of my head, trying to let any precum leak out onto his long tongue. No move he performed was too eager or forceful, as he carefully sunk his head down once again so my dick was reaching his throat. His eyes weren't watering. He wasn't even beginning to gag. His psychic abilities weren't the only thing he had experience in.

He brought a still hand upwards, carefully minding his arm blades, to work the base of my shaft intensely as he sucked. He was trying to coax all that he could out of me, and it went way beyond teasing me for fun. He was so intense that I could feel the beginning of something building up within me.

I tried to move my arms so that I could place my hands on the back of his head to guide him even further, but they wouldn't even respond to me. I was completely at a standstill, and my muscles were so relaxed that I was afraid I would lose my balance. This had to be Julian's doing, and it felt like there was some external force pushing against me, locking me in place. He was using some sort of psychic power to stop me from moving.

_"Just relax, let me take the lead."_

Even though his lip service was heavenly, he stopped before I came right there and then. A small strand of saliva was the only thing left connecting my shaft to his lips, and was it broken as he wiped his mouth coolly. He glared up at me lustily as he chewed on his bottom lip, and that was enough to send a surge of want through me. He stood up without warning, and placed his hands against my chest like he was going to push me away.

I felt myself moving backwards slowly, like I was being pulled by an invisible string. I was lifted onto one of the storage crates and sent onto my back so that I was looking up at the ceiling. My legs were splayed apart as Julian strode closer to me, and that feeling of being exposed finally hit me. He was obviously checking out my ass as he paused without saying anything, and I couldn't help but blush as he looked at my bare form.

I pre-emptively tightened up with anticipation, expecting him to press against me at any moment. But instead, something a lot more wet poked and prodded at my hole. He took one long lick upwards, sliding his slick tongue all the way up to my balls. I craned my head to see him give me a one-sided smile as he disappeared down again.

He drew his tongue around in circles, tracing my tight opening, and it felt like nothing I had ever experienced. His rimming was a lot more feverish than what he was doing earlier, so he had to have been getting more and more aroused himself. Again, he brought a hand up to play with my shaft as his tongue tried to push its way inside. Slowly, I tried to relax and soon enough, I felt myself widen under his deft mouth work.

I barely had enough time to worry about how clean I was down there before I felt him push himself to the limit inside me, his tongue flicking at my walls. It couldn't go in very deep, but it was more than I imagined that a human could manage. I bit my lip and tried to lean against him even more, but his psychic powers were still keeping me stuck in place. He eventually relented with his teasing, and I could feel his hot breath against my asshole as he gave it a final kiss.

_"Now that you've loosened up a bit, do you think you're ready for me?"_

I looked back at Julian, and sure enough, he was rock-hard. He had to have been over seven inches, at least. I didn't care that it was way bigger than anything I had ever tried before, the lust bubbling up within me was pushing my rational mind out of the way. I had gone too far to stop now. I just wanted to feel him inside me. I just nodded slowly as I exhaled deeply. It was now or never.

_"Tell me if you want to stop at any point, okay? I don't want to hurt you."_

He was being so considerate that I couldn't help but show him a little smile. Everyone usually showed a different side in the bedroom, and I never would have expected Julian would have been the kind type. He was so complex for a jokester, and I had never met anyone like him. This ranch was full of surprises.

I got lost in my thoughts, as usual, so when I felt something that was not a tongue press against me I couldn't supress a little yelp. He was being so gentle and so slow that I wasn't even sure if he was moving at all. Sure enough, I felt a pressure begin to push against my opening and I doubted whether I'd be able to take him at all.

Fuck it. I thought, as I somehow managed to break through Julian's psychic lock and push myself down. He must have not been concentrating on maintaining it since he was trying his best not to cause me any pain. I practically impaled myself upon him, wincing painfully as a sharp sensation shot its way up me like a bolt of lightning.

Finally, his head broke through and we both released thankful gasps. I gritted my teeth, telling myself that it would only hurt for a brief time before it would start to feel amazing. I felt filled already, and it occurred to me that I still had so much more to take. Julian let out a shaky groan as I felt his cock throb from within me.

_"Shouldn't-have done that… would've been better to just let me-"_ he huffed, no doubt having a tough time focusing on both the pleasure he was feeling and trying to talk with me. He could actually be really cute, when he wasn't being generally abrasive to everyone. Deciding to give him some thanks of my own, I slid down even further before it started to really sting again.

_" **Now you can go at whatever speed you want**."_

It took quite a lot of trial and error, but we finally got to the point where he was buried to the hilt inside me. Even though he had stopped moving completely, I couldn't help but fidget and moan as just the mere presence of his large dick inside me made me squirm. It wasn't painful so much as it was just a lot to process, and I could already tell that I could get pretty accustomed to this feeling regularly.

I began to feel him pull out, and it almost felt like part of me was going to go with him. Before any of that happened, he slammed back into me, his thighs slapping against my ass as he moved the crate a few inches backwards. My head was starting to swim from just one thrust, and I was right in my assumption that he was insanely strong. I struggled to keep my eyes open, but I could see an entirely different expression on his face. It was similar to the way Hannah looked at me not too long ago. Lustful. Frantic. Wanting.

He held my legs up with his powerful arms as he practically tore into me. I realised that he probably couldn't take being gentle anymore, and was just wanting release at this point. There was an intense mixture of pleasure and pain assaulting me, and I was thrashing against him to keep myself from being pushed off the crate entirely. He balanced speed and power so skilfully that he was like a piston. Katie must have been very happy with him.

He was pressing up against my prostate with every thrust he took, and I honestly thought that it was some mythical thing before this experience. It truly was as good as they said, and I was clamping my jaw shut so I wouldn't cry out and alert the whole ranch. It was such an unnatural feeling, that something used as an exit was being used an entrance – but that just enhanced the pleasure of the whole thing.

I was writhing and shaking like I was being tortured, and I felt so dirty and kinky for the first real time in my life. Sure, having sex with a Pokémon was one thing. But letting a Pokémon fuck you was something entirely different. I felt so defenceless, being under a powerful Gallade who was thrusting into me with reckless abandon, but I felt an intense connection with Julian. Not romantic, just purely lust-driven debauchery. This was what Katie meant when she talked about the wonders of open relationships.

Human and Pokémon were entirely equal right at this moment.

_"Gonna… soon,"_ was all Julian managed to utter before I could feel him tense up, his thrusts growing less powerful but more purposeful. The sensation of having his cock ravage me was sending me on a high, and even though I had already released a bucket load of cum today, my balls felt like they were about to empty completely.

In a daze, I released one of my hands that was clenching onto the crate for dear life and brought it downwards – tugging at my cock to bring myself to climax. Our groans both heightened in rhythm and intensity as I felt Julian throb powerfully within me. He gave a final thrust as he held onto me, his arm blades coming dangerously close to slicing my legs.

I could feel the warmth inside me as he came. He practically painted my insides white as he fell forwards, bucking his hips slightly in an instinctive way to fill me as best he could. The idea of him ejaculating inside my ass sent me over the edge as I shot my own load so powerfully that it covered Julian's chest. Strands of sticky, white fluid covered and hung from the triangular shape on his torso as we both shook in silence.

I had just been dominated by a Gallade. Julian softened while still inside me, and he took a few breaths to recover before removing himself. The embarrassing sound of air escaping made me go crimson as I felt myself gape slightly, the stinging sensation returning in full force. He smirked understandingly as looked down at his handiwork.

_"Nice. You held up a lot better than I thought you were going to."_

"That… was incredible," I panted, entirely uncaring that he was staring at me. I felt some of his semen dribble out of me as I tried to sit back up on the crate. My limbs and back were sore, but it was totally worth it. "Probably gonna be walking funny for the rest of the day, though."

We shared a laugh as we both calmed down from the sweltering heat. We were sweating profusely, with beads running down Julian's visor like drops of rain. My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest.

"Yeah, you should uh, probably go use the toilet in the lodge," Julian laughed, and it made me glad that he wasn't shirking away from all the 'gross' stuff that accompanied what we had just done. "Don't want the rest coming out in a couple hours while you're working."

We were sent into a laughing fit, and it was nice that we shared the same dumb humour. It was strange that I didn't view him with guilt, or embarrassment or anything like that. Nothing had really changed between us even though we were just being intimate seconds ago. We were still joking about stuff, and it wasn't like I wanted to date him like with Hannah. Things could really work like this.

"I'm gonna teleport to the river and get freshened up, since you weren't entirely all roses and daises down there," he chuckled, gathering up my clothes and handing them to me. "Price you gotta pay, man."

"Thanks, Julian," I said, while in the middle of pulling my shirt over my head. I was still in the afterglow and feeling a little sentimental. "For being my first."

"Don't mention it, buddy," he smiled, while rearranging the crates so it didn't look like two guys had just fucked in the storeroom. "That just means you need to tell me about everyone you have sex with now."

"Deal," I answered, now suitably dressed. I clasped his sweaty hand for a promising handshake, and I was tempted to even go in for a brohug – but he still had fluid dripping down his front.

Suddenly, I got the feeling that I was being pulled out of my own body. Before things went black, I just realised I had completed the link for teleportation and braced myself for the weird split-second trip. Swirls of pink and purple crept into my vision as the storeroom shifted into a sea of darkness.

Then, I was standing in what I assumed to be the lodge bathroom. Julian must have just dropped me off on the way to the river, like some sort of mystical taxi service. I would need to interrogate him as to the ins and outs of teleportation, because it was quite concerning how casually he could use it.

The bathroom was immensely white and tiled, with the shower that Hannah must have been using dripping away in the corner. Shampoos, lotions, aftershaves and perfumes lined the sink and I couldn't even begin which belonged to my three different co-workers. I was facing myself in a giant mirror, and I looked quite worn down. Maybe a shower wouldn't actually be half bad…

Well, I tried to work and ended up introducing myself to a gruff Houndoom and fucking a Gallade who I now had a brotherly bond with. If work was always going to be like this, then I would catch up to the years of experience the other workers had in no time.

I was just prepared to walk funny for the rest of the day as I winced at the stinging between my legs.

So much for starting small.


	8. Plans and Promises

"So, after getting stuck in Meteor Falls for days, Julian and I finally managed to find the exit…"

The rest of my work day had passed by uneventfully, as most of it was spent having a long shower and getting cleaned up. I imagined that once Amon spread the word about me things would pick up a bit, but everything was nice and quiet for now. Eloise was snoozing on my chest as I cuddled up on the couch with Hannah, Katie was in the middle of one of her numerous adventuring stories, Brandon had taken to lying on the floor with Indra – and Julian couldn't help but grin at me from across the room.

In terms of the public status of Hannah and I's relationship, we hadn't outright stated it yet. It had to be incredibly obvious to them both, but Brandon and Katie hadn't really said a word about it. For now, we were all just happy to be in each other's company without getting into too much detail about our growing personal lives. Everyone except from Katie was in a tired, yet blissful state of half-awareness. The lodge was so cosy that I could have fallen into a deep sleep right there.

Sadly, Katie's story was interrupted by the creaking of the lodge's front door opening. It took all the energy I had to look over, but there Thomas was – standing in the doorway with that conniving smile clear on his face. It had felt like days since I had seen him, and I hated to disturb both Eloise and Hannah, but I straightened my posture to greet him. The room was alive again with laboured yawns as everyone tried to focus.

"I hate to drop in at the end of a shift like this, but I just wanted to see how my wonderful workers were doing," he began while striding into the middle of the room. I had no idea where he found the energy to be this peppy at the end of the day, but him just being here was enough to bring us all to life again. "Anything to report?"

"Yeah, boss…" Brandon answered, rising from the floor like some kind of zombie. Indra glowered at the fact he was no longer being stroked, but didn't speak up at all. "Apparently, one of the ranch residents got a little too excited and uprooted one of the benches. I'll be on it tomorrow."

"There was a little scrap between all the Nidorans that I had to break up, but they seem to be getting on well again," Katie added, looking a little disappointed that her wondrous tale was interrupted. It was clear that she looked back on her younger days with pride, and just from the little she told me, she had accomplished some impressive things.

"No eggs'll be hatching for a while, so I should be able to let up with the hourly checks for a week or two," Hannah yawned, resting her head on my shoulder like she couldn't even lift it up anymore. I was glad to hear that she would be able to take more breaks, because it was insane how hard she worked.

"Alex and I fucked in the western storeroom, but we left it even neater than we found it, so it's not as messy in there anymore," Julian snickered, and I would have jumped up over there and booted him in the face if I had any energy. Stuff between us co-workers was fine, but Thomas _was_ our boss, even if he was the most unconventional one I had ever seen.

"Jeez, you didn't have to hit me with that all at once," Thomas sighed, but there was a hint of laughter in his voice. It seemed like he couldn't be happier that all of his workers were getting along so well. "I left a bunch of supplies in the reception if you need them, Brandon."

I was glad that he was glossing over what I had done with Julian, as I really couldn't mentally handle being interviewed by my boss about how it went down. As much as I enjoyed working here, it was so close to the end of the day that I was getting antsy about leaving. I would have stayed in Hannah's room, but Eloise needed to settle into my actual house before I could stay nights here.

"Oh yeah, Alex…" he turned his attention to me, and I kicked myself for speaking too soon. "Amon dropped in to see me, and whatever you talked with him about, he only had pleasant things to say about you. It's good to see that you're taking your job seriously!"

Really, Amon had put in a good word for me? I thought that our interaction had gone pretty terribly, with me shaking like a leaf in front of him. I would need to thank him the next time we ran into each other, but something about that hellhound told me that he wouldn't appreciate being thanked very much. I mirrored Thomas' smile as thanks, as I was too stunned to really do much else.

"That reminds me, Tom," Hannah spoke up. "Can I go with Alex to get his trainer's license tomorrow? He's managed to pick up two Pokémon already, so the sooner he gets all the paperwork done the better."

"Sure," Thomas nodded, giving me a side-eyed glance. I couldn't place what that look was meant to mean, and it looked like something between surprise and suspicion. "If the eggs are quiet for now, you're free to do whatever."

"Got any plans for the weekend, boss?" Julian asked, somewhat disheartened that his little comment seemed to go over his head. Serves him right for trying to rile me up. "Feels strange that Friday's tomorrow."

"What, me?" Thomas laughed modestly, almost like a dad who knew that he wouldn't be getting up to anything interesting. "Quiet nights in with the team, hopefully. Is there anything you crazy kids are getting up to?"

Now that the topic was brought up, I wasn't sure how weekends were meant to work at the ranch. Thomas was speaking about it like we actually got Saturdays and Sundays off, but that sort of thing wouldn't really work in our line of work. We were a small team in the first place, and the ranch would totally be barren if we were all to leave. Who would feed the Pokémon or handle emergencies?

"Me and Katie were thinking of throwing an-" Julian began, but was swiftly shut up by a sharp elbow to the stomach. Katie smiled and nodded like nothing had happened, and was entirely ignoring her boyfriend's pained wheezing. "Uh, throwing… out some of our old furniture. Apartment's cramped."

That was perhaps the worst last-minute excuse I had ever heard, and it was surprising coming from Julian of all people. I figured he would have been amazing at lying through his teeth, but not even a child would be fooled by that poor attempt. Thomas instantly knew something was up and laughed heartily.

"Well, whatever it is you're up to – remember and stay close to Lilycove," he smiled, playing along impressively. He gave off such a fatherly vibe when talking to everyone as a group that it was kind of scary, since he was so young. Even though he was extremely similar to us, it seemed like he couldn't shake off the responsibility of being a boss. "I'll call if anything goes down, so make sure you can get back here quickly. I don't want one of you to be in Mauville or somewhere like that if something happens at the ranch."

It seemed like he was saying that mostly for my sake, and I was starting to clue in on how things worked around here. Weekends we technically had off, but we had to be aware that we could be called back at a moment's notice – sort of like how doctors could be called late in the night if something happened to their patients. I assumed that Thomas would check in for us so that we could get up to whatever we wanted.

"Well, if that's it, I'm gonna get going," he began, spinning on his heel with so much urgency it looked like he was running away from us. It was funny, he gave off such a professional vibe sometimes but I could see the child-like excitement at the prospect of going home in his posture. He turned back and grinned over his shoulder. "I've got a hot date with my Mienshao."

A collective sigh was heard throughout the room as everyone could relax again. Brandon flopped back onto the floor with an exasperated sigh, curling around Indra lovingly. Katie shot a glare at Julian who just laughed nervously, and Hannah snuggled back into me while wiggling her toes. Eloise hadn't said a word, and had barely even woken up throughout that entire conversation. The excitement of all the new people around her had probably worn off and tired her out.

"Why do you guys hide things from Thomas?" I questioned sceptically, unable to stop my curiosity. I had noticed the tension in the air rise from the moment that he walked in, and it was nothing like what I had seen just a couple days ago. Katie acted like Julian was about to spill something important.

"Well, back before the ranch got really busy, he was able to join us in all the stuff that we would do together," Katie replied, looking quite sullen. I winced as I had probably brought up a sore subject and ruined the peaceful vibe that the lodge had going on. "He was a member of the group, y'know?"

"Yeah, but the time came when he actually had to step up and he couldn't be doing all the crazy shit that we do anymore," Julian added, giving Katie a reassuring rub on the back. They seemed to physically comfort each other a lot, and I assumed it was because they had been together since they were really young so they were rather dependant on each other.

"So, we don't talk about the details of our plans so he doesn't feel left out," Brandon said from somewhere below my view, his voice was quiet, like he was pouting. "We know he'd love to join us, but he's just got so much work that he feels like he would be wasting time."

I could feel Hannah tensing up next to me, and she was no doubt feeling awkward about the situation. She had been with Thomas the longest, and seeing him start to drift away probably hurt her more than she would admit. It seemed like this whole thing was riding on his shoulders, and he had to sacrifice his social life in order to keep this place afloat. I frowned along with others, a sombre atmosphere overtaking the cosy room.

"Can I do fun things with you guys too?" Eloise asked innocently, and I hadn't even realised she had been listening. Her tone was happy and cheerful, like she didn't fully understand the situation, but it was still endearing. I started to chuckle softly, and soon the room erupted with laughter.

"Sure thing!" Katie answered with a wide grin. My Swablu might not have noticed, but she had definitely saved the mood. Everyone looked glad that we didn't spend much time on the Thomas situation, Hannah especially, giving Eloise's head feathers an affectionate tussle. "You're a part of the group now too, along with all our other Pokémon."

"Is it going to be like what Alex and Hannah were doing earlier?" she questioned, causing us both to shoot up in alarm. I almost knocked Eloise off of the couch that's how urgently I sat up, and instead of laughing it off, I could practically feel my blood run cold. Her hearing _was_ good. "That sounded really fun."

I heard Hannah whisper a quiet 'oh fuck' as silence fell upon the living room. Brandon even sat up to witness the embarrassment on our faces, and Julian was stifling a laugh to trivial effect. Katie looked totally at a loss for words, for maybe the first time in her life. The very thing I was afraid of was happening, in front of everyone no less.

"You two were mating, right? My mother told me that's how I was born," she explained, and I was so close to bolting out of the front door and never looking back. Of course Esther had explained the beautiflies and the beedrills to her daughter. Eloise turned to look at me with those pure, black eyes. "Did you make an egg?"

That confused question sent Julian over the edge as he exploded into hysterics, throwing his head backwards on the couch and laughing so heavily I thought he was going to start crying. Eloise started to laugh too, even though she had no clue what was so funny. Her stare could have drilled two tiny holes through me.

There was no way we could hide it now. If she hadn't asked those last two questions, we could have easily played it off as something else. But her accuracy was astounding for someone who had just recently hatched. I had an awful feeling that this would become a recurring theme, and her curiosity would never die down. What the hell do I even say?

"I tried asking Baxter earlier about it, but he just told me to ask one of you!" she giggled, flapping her cloud-like wings excitedly. At least she was enjoying the whole thing a ton more than I was. I didn't expect I would need to give 'the talk' to someone so early in my lifespan, let alone a Pokémon.

"Yes, we were," Hannah smiled, having recovered way sooner than me. I was still biting my tongue in fear of saying something extremely stupid. She brushed her fingers over a Pokéball on her belt, presumably Baxter's, and they tightened like she was trying to crush it. Someone was getting a talking to later on. "That happens a lot around here."

"Mother said that it's not just humans and humans, but humans and Pokémon too!" she added, pleased that someone had finally responded to her. I should've really seen it coming, since Esther was a member of the ranch. She had no doubt wanted to try and teach her daughter about the ranch life before she left the nest, and although she was just trying to be a good parent, she was putting me into so much hot water I felt like I was boiling.

"What d'you think about that?" Julian spurred on with a grin, and I knew that he didn't even need to ask, he could have just used some psychic ability to find out, but no. He was asking the question out loud for the rest of our sake, for my embarrassment. I was ready to strangle him.

"From all the weird sounds I heard earlier, I think it's really interesting!" she said, completely oblivious to Julian's less than pure intentions. I wondered if her naivete would ever fade with age, and I hoped to Arceus that the more experience she gained, the wiser she got. "I want to try it, along with battling, and lots of other things."

Yup. That was pretty much what I expected. The final nail in the coffin. Julian sat back, looking extremely satisfied like he had somehow helped the entire situation. Brandon was standing up at this point, full hands-on-hips mediator mode. Although he had adopted a helpful posture, his unsure face made it clear that he wasn't intending on helping that much. Even Hannah looked to me now, and since I was her trainer, it made sense that I would need to bear this whole thing.

"I'm sure you'll get to try it eventually," I vaguely answered, and I knew instantly that it wasn't a very good answer. To be fair, I wasn't exactly lying. Just from the way my life was heading, there was no way that I could shelter her from this sort of thing forever. Hannah and Britney said that I shouldn't worry too much, but I couldn't help but feel hesitant.

"Promise?" she asked solely to me, and stuck out her beak like she was about to peck me. I wasn't really sure what she was trying to do, but I stuck my hand out in front of her anyways. She nuzzled into my palm with her beak, and I scratched her chin lovingly.

"Promise," I replied. That wasn't too bad, and I felt as if I was freaking out over something that wasn't that big of a deal. In hindsight, it was better for her to know now while I was still new to the whole thing myself. At least she hadn't walked in on a co-worker fucking their Gallade out in the open.

"Well, now that we've wrapped things up, I think it's about time to pack it in for the day," Brandon said, his posture more relaxed now that the situation had played out well. To me, he seemed rather on edge whenever something didn't exactly go as planned, and I would often catch him stressfully cleaning his glasses out the corner of my eye. Maybe he wasn't as capable as he appeared.

The room began to empty sluggishly, with the muscled landscaper leaving first. Indra was nipping at his heels as he strode out the door, and he had such a wanting posture that I'm sure that all of Brandon's stroking had done more than just calm him down. I wondered how the big guy dealt with all the electric energy that his Pokémon gave off when their emotions were heightened. Julian practically carried Katie out the door, and he gave me a knowing wink before he left my sight. Seemed like everyone was getting it on tonight.

"It sucks that you can't stay here…" Hannah pouted, while drawing circles on my chest with her finger. I knew instantly what she was trying to accomplish, and even though I was wise to her tricks, it still had an effect on me. "I just want to cuddle with you all night."

"Just cuddling?" I laughed, taking her hand in mine and giving it a loving squeeze. Eloise looked at us both with a mixture of amazement and curiosity, which slightly killed the mood. It was like having your child walk into your bedroom while you're right in the middle of things. "Once I've sorted out the house arrangements with Wren and Eloise, I promise that I'll start staying over."

"Look at you, being all responsible," she purred, before giving me a small peck on the cheek. I could have just melted right there on the couch, but I had to steel myself for the long walk home. She would always be here tomorrow. "Just show up here at the regular time and we can go get your trainer license sorted."

With that, I begrudgingly left the lodge after a particularly tight hug from Hannah. Eloise was perched firmly on my head, her feathers creating impromptu earmuffs that stopped the cool night air from making me shiver. I could see the others far in the distance, and with a laboured sigh and hands deep in my pockets, I set off for my house.

* * *

The next couple of hours involved me trying to figure out how my bedroom would accommodate some other living being that wasn't me. I had managed to sneak her into the house without my brother noticing, and I assumed that was just because he had descended into an alcohol-induced coma. Eloise was chirping and squawking with excitement that she was finally home with me, and had already managed to knock down several of my figures. If anyone else did that, they would never be allowed in again… but she was just too cute to get annoyed with. She didn't take up too much space all things considered, but I winced trying to imagine Wren fitting comfortably in here along with her.

Luckily, in some uncharacteristic stroke of genius, I swung by the Pokémart while walking home and picked up a few supplies. I was technically a Trainer now, so I'd need to have the essential things on hand for emergencies and whatnot. The pile of potions, Pokéballs and other items that bled my bank account dry had been discarded in the corner for when I would actually need them. I probably could have got some stuff from the ranch without paying, but it was less hassle this way.

One thing I didn't account for was food, which was the far more important matter. It was already far too late to brave the outside world, and my legs were still aching slightly from all the activity I had been doing these past couple days. There wasn't anything in the house that either me or Eloise could eat, so I decided that we deserved a treat for our first night spent together. Pizza's not bad to feed to your Pokémon, right?

After the phone call to the local place who embarrassingly knew my family by name, there was nothing else to do but wait for the doorbell to ring. Eloise had instantly claimed my bed, choosing to scratch up and nest herself between all my pillows. I chuckled softly and laid down beside her, letting my head rest against her cloudy feathers as I took my first relaxed breath of the day.

"Today was really fun," Eloise said, after a comfortable silence fell between us for a few minutes. Her tone was different, much less energetic and cheerful but still positive. Now that she had time to relax, this was probably a much more regular side to her personality that I was starting to see. Everybody acted different when there were lots of other people around.

"What do you think of the ranch?" I asked with a gentle voice. My eyes were too heavy to keep open, so I just let myself drift off as I felt Eloise's calm breathing against me.

"Everyone there is really nice, even though I'm still new," she replied, a hint of laughter rippling through her voice. "I can't wait to spend more time with everyone, and you, obviously!"

I felt a sharp poke against the back of my head as Eloise's beak nuzzled its way into my messy hair. Her rough preening must have been her attempt at an affectionate kiss, and it was so cute that I couldn't help but smirk. She made my heart feel full, almost in the same way Hannah did, and it must have had something to do with the starter bond. She represented all that I cared about.

"You'll be getting company soon," I said, reaching a hand up to scratch under her chin. It would be best to tell her about Wren right now, and even though their personalities were extremely different, I had a feeling that they would get along. "There's someone at the ranch who I'm going to look after from now on."

"Already!?" she questioned, and that child-like excitement flooded back into her voice like it had never left. "What are they like?"

"He's a Sneasel," I answered, sitting up with a great amount of difficulty. I sat cross-legged and faced Eloise with a smile, feeling somewhat excited that the two would get to meet each other soon. "Wren is his name and you'll get to see what he's all about tomorrow."

I showed her a picture of a Sneasel on my phone since she would have no idea what one would look like. I was still coming to terms with the fact that she was entirely new to the world, and I would have to be careful with the way I explained things so she would understand them. It was like raising a child.

"Wren…" she repeated the name back to herself like she would forget otherwise. She fluttered her wings as she settled back down, leaving behind cloudy residue that I was sure would be coating every surface in my room soon enough. "I'm excited to meet him!"

Before I closed my phone down again, I spied a notification that just popped up across the screen. Lying back down next to Eloise, I wondered who could've been trying to message me this late at night. Opening the messaging app with baited breath, I was greeted with something that I really should have seen coming.

* * *

_**katiejewel**_ _has added you to '_ Poképhiles Anonymous'.

 **katiejewel:** totally forgot to add you earlier, but this the group chat where we talk about sex stuff

 **Shock &Awe: **It's not always about sex!

 **HannahSolo:** I can't remember the last time we talked about something that wasn't to do with fucking each other

 **katiejewel:** anyways, we're having an orgy at my apartment on Saturday as a sort of welcome party for you

 **alex_campbell:** I like how orgies are the equivalent to casual get-togethers to you guys

 **HannahSolo:** You should see what our version of a hardcore night out is

 **katiejewel:** that'll happen eventually, but for now I just want to ease you into things

 **alex_campbell:** Just say a time and place and I'll be there

 **Shock &Awe: **It's good that you're so enthusiastic about this sort of stuff!

 **alex_campbell:** What should I do about Eloise?

 **HannahSolo:** I think you should try and bang her before Saturday so she actually knows what she's getting into, and then bring her along

 **katiejewel:** totally agree

 **Shock &Awe: **Yeah, doing it in a quiet environment first is about the best thing you can do.

 **alex_campbell:** If you say so

 **HannahSolo:** Baxter wanted a piece of me the day he hatched, so don't worry about it being too early

 **katiejewel:** hannah, could you just show alex where my place is?

 **HannahSolo:** We'll probably be hanging out anyway, so sure I'll bring him

 **katiejewel:** thank youuu

 **Shock &Awe: **Be sure to bring a change of clothes and a toothbrush!

 **HannahSolo:** We all know none of us are that responsible

 **alex_campbell:** Can't wait to be really sore the next morning

 **katiejewel:** sorted! talk to you all later

* * *

I chucked the phone down onto the sheets next to me with a smile. It was the first time that I had made plans with anyone in ages, and the fact that it was a giant hook-up just made it even better. My life had been flipped on its head, and instead of feeling anxious like I usually would, I just had excitement burn away inside me. I turned to see if Eloise had fallen asleep since I was just messaging everyone else and not talking, but instead, her head was right next to mine. Her eyes were open. Like she had been reading my messages.

My eyes widened as her beak curved somewhat into the closest thing to a smile she could muster. Nothing about Pokémon ever made sense, but surely, they didn't know how to read English when they were new-born? Something about her pseudo-smile told me I just learned a new fact to add to the confusing list. She knew exactly what we were talking about.

"So, are we going to 'bang'?" she asked, and the fact she was using Hannah's terminology didn't help the situation at all. The innocence usually present in her voice was gone, and it actually seemed like she knew what she was talking about. They sure learn quick.

"Eloise, I'm not sure if you're ready-"

My hesitation was cut short as she leaned closer and pressed her beak to my lips. It was rough, cold, and the shape of it made it awkward to wrap my lips around – but she tried her best. I admired her bravery to just dive right into it. It was way sooner than I was intending, but she had pretty much answered for me. I did want this, and the spark that our connection made was the final push to make me realise it.

The cool sensation of her beak didn't last long as she opened it slightly, letting her warm tongue touch my own apprehensively. It wasn't passionate like most deep kisses I had experienced, but the gentleness with which she approached the whole thing was exactly like her. I had to remind myself not to go too far, as this was the first time I was dealing with someone who had no idea what they were doing.

I gently picked her up and leaned into the kiss more, letting my tongue slide across hers in attempt to reach deeper inside her beak. We couldn't do very much since our mouths were wildly different, but the feeling was still there. Instead of one massive wave of passion and pleasure hitting me, I could feel it slowly building up with each second. My jeans tightened ever so slightly as I shared a loving embrace with my starter. Eventually, she leaned back and clicked her beak shut.

"Did I do that right?" she asked, her beady eyes curved with apprehension. She was trying so hard to impress me even though she must have been feeling nervous about the whole thing. I gave her a soft smile as I set her back down on my stomach.

"Yeah, you were great," I reassured while giving her head feathers a tussle. My bed was propped up against one of the walls, so I pulled myself backwards so that I was leaning against it. It was about the only way we could properly do it, with how small she was.

"Does it prove that I'm ready?" she smiled, showing a form of sass that I had never seen from her before. I was treating her like she couldn't think for herself with how unsure I was about doing this so early, and that was going against everything I stood for. She knew what she was doing.

"We'll take things slow," I replied, while deftly sliding out of my jeans. I let Eloise flutter off of me as I took off the rest. I was beginning to become proficient in stripping off right in the heat of things, and it only took a few seconds before I was wearing nothing but my boxers. It was better to let her get used to how things went in stages.

Eloise looked at me with wonder, her eyes scanning every inch of my body. She first focused on my chest, before eventually being fixated by the only part of me that was still covered. I motioned for her to come closer to me, and she apprehensively clawed closer to my waist. She was intent on discovering whatever it was that made my boxers look like a pitched tent. Since her wings couldn't be used as hands in any way, I took the lead and removed the last thing covering me.

I still wasn't fully hard, but even in that state I looked massive compared to Eloise's tiny body. She fell silent, her beak hanging open as she was unsure of how to go about it. I was about to give her some pointers, but she took another step closer and brought both of her cloudy wings forward. Her feathers enveloped me, and I couldn't even begin to comprehend how soft they were. It felt like there was barely anything there, but they were so warm that it was infinitely more pleasing than a hand would ever be.

My dick held loosely in her cloudy grasp, she brought herself closer to inspect me even more accurately. It was natural, since she had never even seen anything like it, but it was funny how entranced by it she was. She sniffed, seemingly losing herself in my scent. As if by instinct, her wings began stroking me as I hardened under their ticklish embrace. Her black eyes peered up at me, almost as soft as her touch was. My body arced forwards as soon as she picked up her pace, and I couldn't help but grip the bedsheets to steady myself.

Thinking of a better solution than just fondling the sheets, I raised my right hand across her and closer to her backside. Her small size meant I could easily reach back there, and I could think of no better way to spur her on even further. My fingertips ran across her velvety skin, causing her to shiver with anticipation. They eventually found her entrance, and surprisingly, two of my fingers slipped inside with ease. She was far wetter than I expected her to be for her first time, and as soon as they entered her she cooed with pleasure.

Her grasp began to weaken even further as I fingered her, and she clamped her beak shut so she wouldn't make any more noise. She was extremely tight, I could barely move my fingers with how much she was constricting them. She was going to need to loosen up before we got to the main event, as there was no way I could get even the head of my cock inside her. I caught a glance in her eyes that belied her innocent exterior, and just that look alone was enough to send a throb running through my dick.

After a couple more minutes, she had finally managed to relax to the point that my fingers could move freely inside her. The anticipation was killing me, and against my better judgement, I paused and pulled away from her a little. She looked pleased with herself that she had managed to keep up so far, but something told me we were going to have a little more trouble with what was to come next.

"Next is the mating, right?" she asked. Before I could even give a response, she turned away from me and presented her slit with confidence. Her cloudy wings fell by her side, close to obscuring the pink opening that she was doing her best to show off. "I think I'm ready for it!"

I picked her up so that I could have full control of her body. We would need to go at a slow pace, but I was determined to please her since she wanted this so badly in the first place. Her talons went limp as she tried to relax herself as much as possible. I brought her moist entrance above my tip, and now that it was facing me, I caught a whiff of her scent. The animalistic urge was screaming at me to just plunge her down, but I managed to fend it off for the time being. A single drop of her juices fell to my head and mixed with my precum as I steadied myself.

I lowered her down carefully, my tip stretching her soft labia open as she whimpered softly. Eventually, my head broke through her hymen without too much resistance and I entered her. She moaned as I held her steady, and I was barely an inch inside her. Her intense squeezing stopped me from pulling out, even if I wanted to. Her walls gripped me with such strength that her wings would never match. It was like a vice.

My Swablu moaned as I let her sink down, bringing my hands to her head to reassure her. Soon enough, she seemed to be at her limit and I was only halfway inside of her. She had done well to take that much, and I felt like I was finally ready to thrust without causing her too much pain. Squelching sounds rose over her quiet chirps as I let her bounce on my cock, her wings fluttering uncontrollably.

Her walls were pulling me back in before I could even finish a single thrust, and I could feel her insides shift to accommodate my size. Despite how sinful we were being, I was holding her in a warm and careful embrace. She was my starter, and we were only strengthening our bond even further. I was swelling with joy and pleasure as I lost myself in the act, watching Eloise tremble each time I sent a thrust through her tiny body.

Her yelps grew even more high-pitched as she squawked my name. I curled my toes as just hearing my own name uttered with such love and lust sent me over the edge. I had only been inside for a couple of minutes, but I just couldn't take it anymore. I bounced her a couple more times before pushing her down and holding her there, letting my cock poke at what must have been her cervix. The realisation that I was so deep inside her sent a final wave of sick pleasure through me as my dick throbbed.

She clamped down intensely as I came, throwing her head back as far as she could while I pumped her full of my semen. My eyes were tightly closed as I emptied myself inside of her, the world seemingly spinning as my release was so powerful. I squeezed at her sides with my hands, not wanting to let go until we were both finished. As I spurted a final load inside of her pussy, I groaned and released her.

She fluttered for a second before she fell onto my legs, panting heavily and shaking. I opened my eyes again to see my cum oozing out of her stretched entrance as she lay there. Despite her tiny size, we had actually managed to finish. The others were right, there would have been no way she could have relaxed enough if we had done it with all of them around. I let her calm down for a minute before I took her in my arms, lifting her up to my chest and giving her a weak hug.

We lay in a blissful silence for a few minutes so that we could both catch our breath. I could feel her tiny heart beating like crazy against my chest, and it was probably the most activity she had done in her life. Tiny pieces of cotton-like material from her wings were strewn around the bed, and I grinned with the realisation that this wouldn't be the last time my bed got this messy.

"And… you all… do this a lot?" she panted in disbelief. It seemed like she could have fallen asleep exactly how she was right now, but she fought to stay awake so we could keep talking. She would still be fragile for a while, so we couldn't do anything that much wilder before then.

"I'm still pretty new to all this myself, but yeah," I replied more confidently. I wasn't as fatigued as she was, but just feeling her body heat against mine made me want to curl up with her and never move again.

"Wow…" she laughed. "I didn't think it would feel that good."

"I'm surprised you managed to take it," I praised, ruffling her head feathers with a weak hand. "The size difference between us is huge."

Before she could reply, the sound of a doorbell brought us both out of the heavenly afterglow. It took a few seconds for me to register that the food had arrived, as I had entirely forgotten about the whole phone call only a few minutes earlier. I swore under my breath as I dived out of bed, throwing on any clothes that I could find. Eloise was startled, but I didn't have time to explain that it was nothing to worry about. I darted out of my bedroom with a speed that would have put a Jolteon to shame, and pulled the front door open urgently.

"Yeah, uh, I've got an order here for Campbell?"

The delivery girl looked me up and down judgementally as she blew a bubble with her chewing gum, looking like she would rather be anywhere else in the world. She actually seemed to be younger than me, and I figured she was still a student at high school who was taking on a part time job. It certainly wasn't the guy who usually delivered the pizzas, and it was quite a shock to see someone different.

I confirmed the order while shoving a few crumpled notes into her hand, along with an assortment of coins that I hoped would be enough for everything. She didn't even check to see if I had given her the right amount, and practically lobbed the pizza boxes into my hands. Her car was idling half way up the pavement, blaring some obnoxious pop music. I hoped it wasn't loud enough to wake up my brother.

"Cool…" she murmured, placing the money into the branded satchel by her side. "Enjoy the rest of your night."

She gave me a strange look, almost like a knowing smile. It was a far cry from how she had just looked earlier, and I was stunned to see such a change. I didn't even reply as she jogged back to her car, taking off before I could even comprehend why she had smiled at me like that. It wasn't very often that I got random people flirting with me, but the pizza delivery girl of all people?

That's when I noticed how I was dressed. I had thrown on my shirt entirely backwards, and even my jeans were totally inside-out. My lack of socks also pointed to the fact that I hadn't been wearing anything just a few moments previous, and it was obvious that she figured out I was spending a loving night in with someone. Little did she know, it was with a Swablu. I just stood, dumbfounded, in the doorway for a few seconds before I chuckled. It wasn't like I would see her ever again anyway.

Now that I had been on my feet again, the haziness of the afterglow had vanished. I returned to my bedroom with the pizza boxes under my arm, ready to tear into the food ravenously. Sex could work up your hunger pretty quickly, and I imagined that Eloise was feeling it far more than I was. She probably hadn't had a bite to eat all day.

We spent the rest of the night laughing in each other's company. It took a while for Eloise to figure out how to eat a pizza, but once she got the hang of things, she had almost eaten more than I had. It seemed like she would take on anything with a level of determination that I was clearly lacking, whether it be taking initiative in the bedroom or scarfing down a meal.

Eventually, we retired to bed together. As she lay beside me with her eyes closed and her breathing shallowed, I couldn't help but feel tears sting at my eyes. I felt a little stupid for almost crying, but it was starting to feel like my dream really had been fulfilled. This is what all the other trainers who shared my mindset felt like. Hannah, Katie, Brandon and even Thomas likely all slept with their Pokémon as well. Not in a sexual sense, but just for the simple reason of companionship. It brought a warmth that sleeping alone could never fulfil.

I gave a snoozing Eloise a final peck on the cheek as I settled down beside her. My life as a trainer was just beginning, and I would definitely need a bigger bed if I was going to accommodate my eventual team. For now, I just drifted off into slumber while cuddling my starter. We would cross that bridge when we came to it.


	9. Icebreaker

Waking up the next morning wasn't as blissful as going to sleep the night before. The responsibility of having to get my trainer's licence was weighing heavily on my shoulders. The realisation that I would have to fill out page after page of paperwork just to get a piece of laminated plastic caused me to groan and stay in bed with Eloise for far longer than was usually acceptable. The trainer life was supposed to be exciting and glamorous, so why was the first order of business being forced to sit in a stuffy room and listen to some person drone on about rules?

Hannah seemed far more excited about the whole thing than I was, mostly because it meant we could spend time together. I assumed that she would probably jump at any chance she could to get away from the ranch, if only for a couple hours. Her enthusiasm brightened things up a little, and somehow the long trek to the trainer facility didn't seem so bad with her by my side. With Eloise perched happily on my head and Hannah's hand interlocked with mine, I was looking forward to the peaceful morning walk we would share together.

That was, until, something entirely unexpected happened to the spunky, pink-haired girl who was holding my hand. We had barely left the outskirts of Lilycove before our path was blocked by someone shouting excitedly in front of us. Eloise's panicked squawks and sharp claws caused me to wince as she frightenedly gripped onto my head.

"Hey, I know you from somewhere! You're Hannah Spiritt, aren't you!?"

Standing before us was a teenage boy with fierce admiration aflame in his eyes. His stance was unusually confident, and the bandage plastered onto the bridge of his nose made him look like he had just recently gotten himself into a scrap. His ripped hoodie was covered in mud, and his shins were red and raw – almost the same colour as the Pokéball he was brandishing at Hannah. He looked like quite the clumsy trainer.

She gripped my hand almost as tightly as Eloise's claws, and instead of greeting the boy with a confident expression, she gave him an unsure smile. It was strange to see such a hesitant look on her face, and my mind was racing to try and figure out what was happening. I had no idea that Hannah was well-known outside of the ranch circle, and her battling background must have had a far bigger influence on her life than I had first thought.

"Yeah… I am," she finally responded. The boy gasped as his suspicions were confirmed, and he looked at Hannah like she was some world-famous celebrity. "You probably know about me from the doubles scene a couple years ago, right?"

"Of course!" he replied, apparently not catching on to her unfriendly disposition. "How could I not know about you!? The way you crushed the whole competition with your battling partner was so awesome!"

Even though she was receiving praise from someone, it looked like she had just been slapped in the face. She had been completely caught off-guard, and being recognised had to be the last thing she considered would happen today. From the sounds of things, her and Thomas must have won whatever tournament that they had entered. If they had received a trophy, it wasn't displayed proudly in her room at the lodge.

"Look kid, me and my boyfriend are kinda busy here, so can I just sign whatever you have so we can get going?" she pleaded. Her eyes were darting around the area wildly, like she was checking if anyone else was around. Her frantic nature made a seed of worry plant itself in my stomach. It couldn't be good that she was so nervous about her past.

"Oh, I don't want your signature!" he laughed while giving me a passing glance. "I want a battle!"

She sighed tiredly as she let go of my hand, even though she looked like she just wanted to grip it tighter. I almost wanted to grab hold of it again, but I knew that wouldn't help the situation. Denying a trainer who challenged you was one of the rudest things you could ever do, and Hannah obviously didn't want to go that far and upset the eager teen. She took a deep breath for composure and stepped ahead of me.

"Fine, let's just make it quick," she answered begrudgingly. Even though Hannah clearly wasn't enjoying herself, I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little curious to see what she was made of. "Just warning you though, I'm probably going to win."

The boy grinned before hurling his Pokéball onto the pathway in front him, watching with glee as it cracked open when it hit the dirt. Spilling forth from the bright white light was a Vigoroth, who gave a primal screech as it leapt forward. Its black claws slashed at the dirt in a show of dominance as it smiled in a comparable manner to its trainer. I stepped back in surprise, not expecting such an evolved Pokémon to be under the care of such a young trainer.

Hannah wasn't fazed in any way, even though she was being extremely apprehensive just seconds earlier. She had obviously switched into battle mode, as she puffed up her chest and unclipped a ball from her belt. She wanted to avoid a battle, but now that she was in one, she wasn't going to show any mercy. I wondered if this was a semblance of her old ferocity, back when she used to battle with Thomas by her side.

"Oleander," she whispered, almost eerily. "It's been a while, but looks like we're doing this again."

Clicking open the ball with a practiced flourish, she watched coolly as the light warped and twisted until it took the shape of a hunched figure. Her Toxicroak convulsed as he let out a laugh, his red vocal sac wobbling as it grew to almost twice its original size. He was intimidating in an entirely separate way, and I instantly knew what Britney meant when she had called him 'creepy'. His thick lips curled upwards as his spindly red fingers leaked a viscous, purple fluid. A single, guttural croak crept its way up from his throat as he churred the potent poison inside of his body.

"Don't let her get the first hit!" the boy cried, directing his Vigoroth with an unsteady hand. "Try and get close to use Slash!"

The Vigoroth screeched as it jumped forwards, barrelling towards Oleander with a primal intent to maim and rend. Saliva was flung from its jaws as it roared, and I could feel Eloise tense up above me. I realised that this would be her first experience of a real battle, and she could decide if it was something she wanted to pursue after seeing how this played out.

"Trying to get physical with a poison and fighting type?" Hannah laughed, and I was stunned to see how much she had changed. She was acting almost cocky now when she was quivering earlier, and even though it was confusing, I had to admit her sudden confidence was definitely attractive. "We'll see how well that goes for you."

"Sucker Punch!" she yelled, and before she could even finish her order, Oleander pounced onto the Vigoroth with an astounding speed. Before I could even blink, the Toxicroak had socked the enemy in the jaw with an underhanded punch and sent it scurrying backwards in pain.

"You're still as slow-witted as a Slakoth," Oleander croaked, his voice deep and quiet. It was unnaturally relaxed for someone who had just landed an attack, and there was a wavering quality to it that made it sound like he was supressing a laugh. "Evolution is just a physical change, after all."

Upon hearing the Toxicroak's unsettling words, the Vigoroth was sent into such a fury that it didn't even respond. Oleander was skilled at riling up his opponents, and I wouldn't have been surprised if that was a part of Hannah's strategy. The poison frog moved so purposefully it was like every movement had been calculated in advance, and I had never seen such a skilled fighter before. He was dancing around the pathway, avoiding the onslaught of attacks that the angered Vigoroth launched his way.

"Come on!" the boy cried, stamping his foot in frustration. "Use that anger to your advantage and hit him with Fury Swipes!"

The Vigoroth stopped dead in its tracks like it had been snapped out of some sort of trance. As if processing the command it had been given, it glared at the skilful Toxicroak who was still hopping around the battlefield. The normal-type waited for Oleander to finally pause before it ran ahead claws-first, intending to rake its target to shreds. The black nails it was brandishing pulsed with a red aura as it charged forwards.

"You don't even have to give me an order for this one," Oleander stated, looking back at his trainer with a thuggish grimace. Hannah wasn't the only one who was overflowing with confidence, and I was amazed to see that they had reached that level of trust with each other. It was rare to see a trainer and Pokémon who shared such a bond that words meant little in a battle.

Acting completely of his own volition, the Toxicroak bounced into the air with his powerful legs and reached an insane height. He almost rose above some of the nearby trees and even the rowdy teenager was completely entranced by the frog's movements. A purple haze began to creep its way out of Oleander's clenched teeth, like a smoke that couldn't be contained. He grinned, letting even more of the purple gas leak out of his mouth.

The Vigoroth barely had time to react before a shower of poison rained down on its head. Oleander used the momentum of his fall to launch the rain of noxious liquid as forcefully as he could, and the Vigoroth stumbled backwards as it was struck with the brunt of the attack. The sticky, purple globs sizzled as they started to melt the normal-type's fur, causing it to reel in pain. The battlefield was filled with a chemical stench like it had been soaked in bleach.

Oleander landed powerfully, and his body once again shook with laughter that he seemed to be concealing. He even brought a hand to his face, covering his mouth as he couldn't contain his joy. His amber eyes shone like a traffic light as he took immense pleasure in watching his victim struggle under the poison's embrace. His snickering was apparently infectious, as Hannah was smiling so widely it was like she was sharing in the thrill of the fight.

"Don't let up, Oleander!" she called, cupping a hand to her mouth to ensure her words could be heard. The Toxicroak was off in his own world, almost fascinated by the damage his poison was creating. It was disturbing, the way he derived pleasure from watching another Pokémon in pain. "Just the usual strategy will end this whole thing!"

Barely missing a beat, he took advantage of the daze that the Vigoroth was in. The teenager was already resigned to his loss, as he had fallen to his grazed knees, completely in awe of the skill that was being demonstrated. I had little battling experience, and even I could tell that the two groups were on entirely different levels. The Vigoroth moved so clumsily and ravenously, it was no surprise that a more practiced fighter would come out on top. Oleander was just playing with him.

The Toxicroak sprinted up to the bipedal sloth who was still entirely occupied with the poison coating his entire body. Oleander took one final glance at the chaos he had created, before sending a single powerful kick to the Vigoroth's lower half. The frog's leg swept across the ground, and incredibly, was coated in the very same potent poison that was eating through the Vigoroth's thick fur. He sent a torrent of poisonous liquid arcing in all directions as his kick collided, knocking the defeated sloth to the ground. The normal-type slid on the poison with a howl as he was sent hurtling back to his trainer.

"Attaboy!" Hannah yelled, eliciting a hidden chuckle from me. She was being so enthusiastic and cheerful that I could clearly see she enjoyed battling, but that made her hesitance beforehand all the more confusing. "You've still got it!"

Returning his Vigoroth in a flash of red light, the boy's eyebrows were furrowed in anger as he sat on the ground. He looked at the Pokéball as if he was thinking hard about something, and for a second I thought that he was going to throw it away, but instead his expression was quickly replaced by one of determination. He finally stood back up and looked around at all the damage caused by Oleander's poison.

"I knew I wasn't going to win… but I think that this was good practice for us," he said, treading carefully over to where Hannah and I were standing. The poison would probably destroy his already shabby shoes, and I wondered how long it would take for it to dissipate. Oleander's poison had to be incredibly potent. "Your Toxicroak is incredible!"

Hannah deflated a bit as she knelt beside her Pokemon, and even though he didn't receive a single scratch, she still checked his body for any injuries. The difference between the two trainers was immense, with one stowing away their companion in a Pokéball without so much as a word and the other taking great care in making sure everything was okay. She didn't have the cocky grin on her face anymore, but the apprehension from earlier seemed to be gone now that she had finished the battle.

"It's just a difference in experience," Hannah explained while inspecting Oleander's legs. "You just need to work on your communication and strategy, and I did have the type advantage, so don't get too worked up over it."

"Yeah," he agreed, while admiring the Toxicroak from a distance. He seemed almost frightened of the imposing Pokemon, and I was a little unnerved as well. Oleander was a force to be reckoned with in battle. "You used that poison kick combination in the doubles tournament as well, didn't you?"

"Yup," she answered, her face falling a little as the teen referred back to the tournament. "It's just Oleander using the left-over poison from Sludge Bomb in conjunction with Low Sweep. It doesn't really do too much, but being stylish with your attacks goes a long way in competitions and tournaments."

"I'm definitely going to enter one someday!" he said, while pointing a finger at Hannah. She seemed rather shocked by his determined stare, and I noticed a surprised smile spread across her lips as she looked into his eyes. "I want to win like you did! The name's Joseph, so remember it for the next time we battle!"

"Make sure to work on your bond with that Vigoroth." She recommended with a stern stare. I could tell that she felt the same way as me, and it was clear that the way the teen treated his Pokémon could use some work. "If you want to win a lot of battles, then you'll need to improve not only your battling skills, but your relationship."

"Got it," he said, and I was glad that he was taking her words seriously. It was refreshing to see someone so enthusiastic about training, even if he was still young and rough around the edges. He would probably grow into quite a fine trainer. "Well, I've gotta get to a center quick so Hermes can get healed, but thanks so much for the battle!"

The teen took off with a spring in his step, and as soon as he was out of sight, Hannah let out a huge sigh and almost collapsed into the dirt. Oleander looked concerned for his trainer, and he placed a careful hand on her shoulder as she composed herself. The ever-present grimace on his face didn't disappear, but he croaked worriedly.

"Sorry you had to see that, Alex," she said, the guilt clear in her voice. "I thought my days of getting recognised were over."

I had to choose my next words extremely carefully as I knew that her past was a sore subject, but it was almost unhealthy the way she was worrying over it. It was clear that she disliked the fame that participating in a tournament had brought her, but she also seemed to love battling in all of its glory. It was the widest I had even seen her smile and the loudest I had heard her shout.

"I don't see it as something that you need to apologise for," I said, looking over at Oleander as he gave me an introductory nod. "In all honesty, it was fun to see you battle like that. I've never seen someone with that much skill in directing their Pokémon."

She finally stood back up and fell into place beside her Toxicroak. She ruffled at her pink hair nervously as she looked around the pathway again, to see if any other trainers had stopped to watch the battle that had unfolded. She patted the dirt off of her leggings before giving me a smile that was lacking in confidence.

"Yeah… it has been a big part of my life," she replied, scuffing her shoes against the pathway awkwardly. "I promise that I'll tell you about all this battling stuff at some point, but for right now I really don't want to get into it too much… is that okay?"

"Of course," I nodded, clearly sensing that if I pushed any further it would upset her. I knew that it had to relate to Thomas in some way, and I was already starting to get an inkling of just what their relationship was, but it would be better to let all this stuff play out on its own. I didn't want to ruin what I was building with her. "Take all the time that you need."

"Thank you," she said while giving me a much more confident, sincere smile. "Anyway, you've met Oleander now – who's kind of my partner-in-crime when it comes to crushing inexperienced trainers."

"Nice to meet you," he croaked, and his voice sounded like he was always on the verge of laughter. His body would shake occasionally with what was either a shiver or a snicker, and I couldn't exactly place which one it was. He was an odd character, that was for sure.

"Hi there – I'm Eloise!" my Swablu chirped from atop my head, who was seemingly unaffected by Oleander's unnerving mannerisms. I could already tell that she had thoroughly enjoyed the battle we had witnessed, as I could hear her gasp and cheer while the whole thing was taking place. "I can't wait until we get to battle each other!"

"I think that'll be a while away," Hannah laughed, finally returning back to normal from the interaction she had to endure. I had originally thought she was more laid-back, but apparently that was only when she was secluded in the confines of the ranch. Getting recognised must have been quite a scare for her. "We've gotta get you trained up before that, but I bet you'll be an amazing battler."

"I'm going to take that challenge seriously," Oleander laughed, his tone low and ominous. The red sac above his chest wobbled and inflated, and I could see a purple fluid flow under his skin, twisting and dancing like smoke coming from a cigarette. His biology was fascinating to me, and I wondered whether it would be rude to ask if I could study him.

"Well, that sure was a detour," I chuckled, thinking finally we should get moving again. One thing I knew about Hannah for sure was that she never liked to dwell on things, and standing still seemed to make her antsy. "We should probably get going, or else I'm never going to get this damn license."

"Hell yeah we should," Hannah agreed, extending a hand while Oleander fell into place behind her. It seemed like she wasn't going to return him now that he had already been outside of his Pokéball, and it was quite nice for us to be walking around with a couple of Pokemon by our side.

Eventually, we reached the towering registration office which was far too imposing than it had any right to be. Looking like quite the ragtag group, we received more than a couple confused stares as we entered the lobby, but Eloise just chirped happily at the strangers while she nestled further into my hair. There weren't any rules about having your Pokemon with you in public situations, so they would just have to deal with it. I brazenly flashed them a look of tolerance as Hannah led me to the front desk.

After a gruelling few hours of filling out large stacks of paperwork, getting my photo taken while Eloise still insisted on perching atop my head, and a whole bunch of waiting, we finally emerged victorious. We were all weary and Hannah was barely clinging onto her enthusiasm, so we made a beeline back to the ranch where we could all collapse onto the couch together. Thankfully, we didn't run into any disturbances on the return trip. I could only imagine how upset Hannah would have been if some other random teen knew who she was.

I looked over the shiny piece of plastic I had received once we had a few minutes to rest back in the living room. Everything considered, it was entirely underwhelming. It didn't bring the excitement that I imagined getting your driver's licence would bring, and that was quite a surprise coming from me. Hell, I had wished birthday after birthday that I would one day become a trainer, but I didn't feel anything as I gripped the laminated licence.

"So, what else can I do with this stupid thing…?" I finally asked, rousing Hannah from her half-asleep state. My arm was wrapped behind her neck as she cuddled into my chest while we lay on the couch together, and I couldn't help but freak out a little that we were so close. It had only been a few days since we had even learned of each other's existence, but we were already so far into the Lillipuppy-love stage of our relationship it was scary. I doubted that I would ever get used to it.

"Aside from not getting arrested when you enter official tournaments or nature reserves, not a whole lot," she laughed, clearly taking glee in my disappointed face. I had wanted this license to be some magical pass that would open up my life, but apparently that wasn't the case. "It does serve as ID when you go out to bars or clubs, which I'm sure you'll be getting familiar with pretty soon…"

Hannah was interrupted mid-sentence as a mud-covered Brandon burst into the living room with the subtlety of a Tauros charging through a pottery shop. His dungarees had been caked with so much muck that they were almost entirely brown, and you would never have been able to tell that they were originally green. He made sure to stand in the doorway, as to not track all of kinds of grass and dirt onto the rug. He looked at us with a cheerful, albeit guilty, smile as he rubbed the back of his neck with a blackened hand.

"Can somebody get me a towel or something?" he asked through his teeth, unable to stop his uncontrollable urge to smile. "Fixing that bench took a lot more than I had, uh, anticipated."

"Dammit, Brandon!" Hannah laughed, dislodging herself from my side and cracking her back. Eloise squirmed next to me, as she was quite enjoying the body heat that both me and Hannah were creating. My Swablu definitely enjoyed being cosy. "You see anything while you were out working?"

"Yeah, I noticed that Sneasel was still skulking about the place," Brandon said, his tone shifting into something less light-hearted and more serious. I shot up in alarm because it was entirely obvious who was talking about. "I knew Thomas captured him, but is it really okay to have him just mingling with the other ranch Pokémon?"

"I'll let Alex explain, just hang on a sec while I…" Hannah said, disappearing into the hallway to retrieve a towel from the bathroom. She was still talking, but her words were so muffled that I couldn't make them out. This place had pretty good soundproofing for a lodge.

"Uh yeah, I've been talking with that Sneasel for the past couple days and we've decided that he's not a threat to the ranch anymore," I began, watching as Brandon struggled to remove his muddied dungarees. It seemed like he was disrobing to save himself the risk of getting any more dirt on anything. I wasn't complaining, if it gave me a chance to see more of his body.

"Is he gonna stay here, then?" he asked, finally getting his dungarees off which left him with only boxers and a half-dirty shirt. He didn't have any qualms about undressing in front of me, even if I was still a new co-worker. His legs were long and muscled, and I couldn't help but focus on his powerful calves. A kick from him could probably rival the one I had seen from Oleander earlier.

"Well, that's the thing," I laughed, glad that he wasn't getting too hostile about the situation. It seemed like people weren't trying to quickly blame Wren, even if what he had done was inexcusable. I imagined that Julian would be a different case, but Brandon was kind enough that he could see that the words I had said were genuine. "I kinda fell for him, so I'll be training him alongside Eloise now."

"A troubled soul who you want to shelter, right?" he asked, wiping the back of his hand across his cheek, leaving a brown smudge in its wake. He gave me a friendly, lopsided smile as he ran that same hand through his curly hair. "That sorta thing's common among poképhiles, actually. If you're going to take him in, then he can't be a bad Pokémon."

"Yeah… exactly!" I grinned widely, pleased that he was so understanding. I had truly lucked out with the people that I had met at this place, and Thomas wasn't lying when he said that he had carefully picked the people that were working here. "I think Julian will take a lot more convincing, but it'll be easier if we can all talk to him about it."

Hannah returned with the towel in her grasp, and held it towards a dirty Brandon at an arms-length, he sheepishly took the towel from her and began to wipe down his face and hands. That was definitely not enough to get him clean, and it was obvious that he would need a shower, but at least he wouldn't be tracking mud through the entire lodge. He discarded the towel into the pile of his dirty clothes and perched himself on the table in front of me.

"Speaking of Wren, you're going to actually pick him up today, aren't you?" Hannah asked, scowling at the mess Brandon had made in the doorway. She didn't seem genuinely angry as she shared a laugh with the tanned worker when they caught each other's eyes. "You should probably get on that soon. It'll mean Eloise gets another play time with Baxter too, which is nice."

Eloise squawked happily at the mention of her name, and I couldn't say no to either of them. It would be better to pick up Wren now so that I still had time left in the day, so I said my goodbyes and exited the lodge, slightly disappointed that I didn't get to see Brandon after he had come out of the shower. There would be plenty of opportunities for him to get dirty again with how hands-on his work was, and I was sure that I would be having an intimate encounter with him soon enough anyway, but my libido was still angry at me.

Shoving those thoughts to one side, I hurried to the usual spot where I imagined Wren would be pacing around. Instead of looking down at my shoes like I had done all my life, my head was held high and scanning the surroundings of the ranch. It was still astounding that I was finding new Pokémon everywhere I looked, and even more astounding that one hadn't sought me out and jumped on top of me. If Amon was being serious, it sounded like most of them actively engaged in the sinful activities that my co-workers promoted. I passed by a Snivy who seemed to take a particular interest in me, but I waved her off as I had other matters to attend to. All this other stuff could wait.

The edge of the forest was surprisingly empty, and the eccentric Sneasel was nowhere to be found. It was to be expected, since he couldn't just hang around all day waiting for me to stop by. Brandon said that he had spotted him earlier, but if I had to take a guess, I would say that he had retreated back to the forest. The other Pokémon that resided in there were usually asleep during the day, or minded their own business. Wren would feel much more comfortable under the cool shade where he didn't have to interact with others.

Feeling like an explorer navigating through some ancient ruins, I climbed over exposed roots and ducked under low-hanging branches to try and search for him. The dense undergrowth was tough to fight against, and I was attracting the attention of some of the forest denizens. The Noctowl I had come across on my first ever day at the ranch peeked over at me from the branches, and hooted ominously. A strange bravery overtook me as I paused to look up at the disturbed owl.

"Hey, uh, you wouldn't know where a Sneasel would be in this forest, would you?" I asked, squinting my eyes to get a better look at him. His head cocked to the side with interest as he likely was perturbed that I would even speak to him. "Kinda scruffy looking and small?"

"He sits by the pond alone most of the time," the Noctowl warbled in reply, raising a sleek wing in the direction of what I assumed was the pond. I felt kind of bad knowing that Wren had spent these past couple days mostly by his lonesome, but he told me that's what he wanted earlier. I would need to try and encourage him to move around a little more. "Good luck, Alex. He looks like he would be rather tough to crack, if you know what I mean."

Wow, word sure travelled quickly around the ranch. I had no idea who this Pokemon was, but he had already memorised my name even though we had never met. I wondered if every single Pokémon here was now aware of my existence, either thanks to Amon or just by common word-of-mouth. It would certainly help with introductions. But, what did he mean by tough to crack?

"Yeah, thanks," I replied, deciding to not even attempt to ask what he had meant. "Mind telling me your name?"

"Triton," he said, giving me a mock bow with his wing. "Thanks for asking."

With that strange little encounter over, I made my way to the pond and couldn't help but feel apprehensive. Whenever I had to deal with Wren, I felt my heartbeat increase and muscles tighten. There was just something about him that put me on edge, and that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. I had invested so much into that little Sneasel that I felt almost responsible for him, and now that he was joining my team, I really was going to be responsible for him. Sure enough, when I broke through the clearing of trees, I spotted him sitting on a flattened stone that was overlooking the murky water.

The instant I stepped forwards, a twig snapped clean in two under my clumsy feet. The sharp sound of wood snapping echoed throughout the forest, and it caused Wren to whirl around with alarm. His claws rose, and his eyes widened, but as soon as he saw me looking just as shocked as him, his posture slackened. He sighed and smiled widely at me, looking much happier than he did yesterday. He wasn't dirty, and his face wasn't matted with tears. He looked good.

"This area is beautiful, is it not?" he asked, looking around at the overgrown grass with fascination. I wouldn't have exactly called it beautiful like he did, but I understood where he was coming from. He had never been given the chance to see something as simple as a pond inside of a forest. "There is very little sound that can reach this depth in the forest, so the trickling of the water is all that you can hear."

He seemed so calm, so serene with his surroundings that it was an odd sight. He was sitting cross-legged on a flat stone like some sort of monk, and it wouldn't have surprised me if he had been meditating before I came through here. He must have come to terms with his situation all on his own, and his introversion was likely a result of his time spent alone in his Pokéball. He seemed entirely happy that he was free for maybe the first time in his life.

Not wanting to spoil the atmosphere, I crept across the forest floor on careful feet. The slab of stone he was sitting on looked stable enough to hold my weight as well, so I joined him leisurely. Now that I was seeing things from his point of view, the pond really was pretty. Even though the water was murky, the way that the vegetation had grown around the edges made the place look like it had gone untouched for years. We both looked across the water as I took a relaxed breath, content to just enjoy his company without the drama of the past couple days. I tried to hold back a shiver as his icy temperature was enough to make the hair on my arms stand on end.

"I have had many hours to think upon what has happened to me," he began, tapping a clawed finger on the stone slab to keep himself focused. He still had to strain for the words to come out properly, and I watched as his gaze delved even further down to the pond. "I am aware that I have upset many at this establishment with my actions, and even though that was not my intention, it is only natural that I should atone for them."

"You shouldn't have to apologise alone," I smiled, spreading an open hand across the rock just in case he needed to grab hold of it. "I can take to you see everyone properly once you're ready, if you'd like."

"Yes," he replied, sighing in relief. "I need to remind myself that I am under your rule now."

"I wouldn't really call it 'my rule', Wren," I chuckled. His idea of what a trainer was had been warped, and it would likely take a lot of effort to prove to him that we weren't some dictators that controlled Pokémon like slaves. Even if he trusted me, he seemed confused about what exactly his role would be. "I want my Pokémon to be free to make their own choices, and I will do my best to fulfil their needs. I only want what's best for you, and forcing you to do something goes against everything that I stand for as a trainer."

He looked at me with those familiar, awe-stricken eyes that I had seen yesterday. Wren seemed to overthink things a lot, mostly because he only felt comfortable when he was alone. It was just how he had developed, and there was no point trying to pull him out of that any time soon. Each Pokémon was unique, and he just happened to have more quirks than your average Sneasel. He seemed to calm down now that we had got to talking, as his incessant tapping had ceased.

"There is one other matter that I wanted your opinion on, Alex," he said, twisting his body and shifting around so that we were looking directly at each other. His posture wasn't nervous, but entirely curious as he paused, thinking about how to word what he was going to say next. "It relates to something that I had noticed while I was walking around earlier."

"Go ahead… I'm all ears," I nodded, wondering about what he had seen. Brandon had told me that he was spotted away from the woods, so maybe he had run into some of the more talkative ranch Pokémon. While that train of thought barrelled forwards, I suddenly realised about what some of the residents would say, about what goes on at this ranch, and I felt like my panic was about to shatter the rock we were sitting on.

"There is a particular scent that is common among all of the Pokemon here," he started, and as soon as he finished that sentence I became acutely aware of what he was talking about. His sense of smell had to be particularly accurate, and I had totally forgotten that he could have picked up on even the subtlest hints of sweat, or other such fluids. "I am not familiar with what it could be, but I have realised now that I can smell it on the humans here as well. I can smell it on you."

I did everything I could to hold back a reaction. He had to have been talking about the scent of sex, right? The one that was so potent in the lodge when I had first arrived here, that Julian said they had to use a can of Febreze a week just to mask it. It wasn't exactly pleasant to discuss, but I couldn't just deny its existence. To him, a Pokémon with a great nose, it would have been difficult not to notice it. I had no idea how I was going to respond as I was too busy screaming internally that I had been thrust into this situation again. First Eloise, now Wren.

"Uh… yeah, well…" I spluttered, ruining the calming atmosphere that I was so quick to praise just minutes before. I had to think on my feet, and if I wavered any longer and failed to give an answer, then my trust with Wren would probably plummet. "It's the scent of mating. One of the things we do here is breed Pokémon for their eggs, so you're gonna smell that a lot."

"Ah, I see," he replied, somehow unfazed by the awkwardness of the situation. He was similar to Eloise in a way, as he was completely new to social normality and hadn't really interacted with anyone. He just didn't understand all these clues I was throwing down that I was uncomfortable. "Then it is safe to assume that you mate with not only humans, but Pokémon, yes? You have the scent of both around you."

I was astounded at the accuracy of his nose. I had showered this morning, so any lingering scent of Eloise from the night before should have been washed away. The fact that he could smell Hannah on me was even more frightening, and I suddenly became extremely self-conscious about what he could determine about me just from scent alone. I could never even begin to understand how his senses functioned. His shiny, black nose wiggled as if he was confirming his suspicions.

"Your nose is incredible, Wren," I admitted, throwing up my hands in defeat. Like with Eloise, there was no point in hiding now that my cover was blown. I considered just telling every single new Pokémon that wasn't a ranch resident I came across that I was a poképhile. It would keep things much simpler. "Yeah, I've had relations with both humans and Pokémon."

"I often pondered on whether such a thing was possible," he replied, looking grateful that I had just told him outright. There wasn't a hint of judgement in his red eyes as he looked deep inside mine. "I have had no experience in either, but if what I am imagining is correct, then I wouldn't mind…"

He trailed off, seemingly getting lost in his own thoughts. Even though he didn't understand how to have a normal social interaction, it looked like he understood what he was about to say wasn't appropriate. He soon realised what he had insinuated and shot his eyes away from me in a panic. He began to tap his claws again as he looked across the water, and I was sure that he had to be blushing under all that navy-coloured fur. It was like most Pokémon had an inherent want, or fascination, with breeding or mating, or whatever you wanted to call it. It definitely made sense from a biological perspective, as passing on their genes was one of the most important things to most species. Even though Wren was different in most respects, he seemed normal in that regard.

"It's not weird to be thinking about those kinds of things, Wren," I consoled, feeling like I was talking to an ashamed teenager who I had caught looking at a dirty magazine. It was a touchy subject, but even I was starting to get desensitised to the whole sex thing. This place really was changing me. "In fact, here at the ranch… it would be stranger if you had no interest in other Pokémon or humans."

"Since I was little more than a collection of thoughts in a Pokéball…" he started, fidgeting profusely as he sunk his fangs into his bottom lip. I felt things get a little colder as he seemed to emanate a nervous, frigid aura out of instinct. "I could not do… anything physical… so I had to, err, make do with my imagination most of the time."

At least he was aware of his urges and understood what everything meant. Eloise had no idea about anything sexual, but Wren held a basic understanding even if it was only from what he could think up. I felt bad for him, as he had no outlet to channel his frustration or sexual feelings. As a fellow male, I understood how vital masturbation really was to keep yourself sane during puberty. I had learned all too well from Eloise that Pokémon maturity was entirely different from human development, but the same general rules had to apply. Wren was definitely pent-up.

"Well, you've lucked out with this place and me as your trainer," I said confidently, almost encouragingly, as I understood that he needed a little push to come out of his shell. Tiptoeing around things like they were a problem would only make him uncomfortable. I made a note to let any other Pokémon that found themselves in my care feel comfortable to explore their sexual desires as much as possible. "There couldn't be a safer environment for you to figure yourself out."

"Would you assist me?" he asked, his eyes once again meeting mine with a genuine look. It was like everything about Wren was troubled, from his past to his sexual feelings. He must have been so confused for all of his life, and had nobody to share all of this with. No parents, or siblings, or friends, or mentors. "I know I have come to rely on you… but I do not want anyone else."

I couldn't tell if he was coming onto me or just wanting somebody to explain things for him. I felt deeply entwined with Wren's fate now, and perhaps that was where my feelings for him were starting to arise. He may have looked shabby, but that just added to his inexperienced allure. In the space of a single blink, I wasn't looking at him as some untouchable Pokémon who I had only come into contact with because of work, but as a potential partner I would spend the rest of my life with. I quickly realised things were going to escalate if we kept going down this route.

"I made a promise to myself that I would show you all of the things you never got the chance to experience," I stated, feeling my cheeks heat up as both of us began to blush more profusely. It wasn't exactly embarrassing or awkward, as we were so secluded it was like a world where only the two of us existed. "I'm your trainer, but I'm not going to force you into a sexual relationship with me. Whatever you want to do, I want to do it with you."

Looking completely flustered, Wren's imagination likely had gotten the better of him as he covered his waist with his claws. I realised that he wasn't only looking at me with admiration because I had saved him, but because he had feelings for me. If I was a beacon of light for him, then it was obvious that he wanted to be with me. I was flattered that he looked at me in such a way, and the way he was struggling to keep his composure was so cute that it made me lose the rest of my cool.

"I apologise – it has just been a while, and I do not really know how to go about this in a proper manner-" he rambled, failing to hide his desire. He was trying so hard to keep up the image of a respectful, refined Pokémon while he battled with his primal urges. Even though it was enjoyable to watch him get so flustered, I felt like I had better show him the ropes. The others would probably be spurring me on at this very moment, Hannah especially.

The overgrown forest made the perfect cover as I prepared to relieve Wren of his worries and stress, through one of the best ways I knew how. I couldn't help but smile dirtily as I shifted closer to the Sneasel, who was still trying desperately to hide his erection. If he was going to be my Pokémon, then he would need to learn to be comfortable with things like this, and it was my job as his trainer to teach him. I would just have to use a hands-on method.

Carefully, I brought both of my hands to his claws and pulled them to either side slowly. I did everything cautiously and gently to put him at ease, as I was still wary of upsetting in any way. We weren't going all the way, as there was no way that Wren could handle all that pressure and stimulation. A slow approach would work better with someone like him.

With his clawed paws out of the way, I finally got a look at what he was packing. Since he was more animalistic than Julian, his member was far more exotic than what I was used to. His dick was poking out of his sheath as it throbbed, and its small size was reflective of his stature. The base was a light pink, fleshy colour that grew in intensity until the tip was a bright, flaring red. He didn't even have a cock head, as his penis tapered to a thin point where the slit was located. A bead of precum was already on his tip as he had likely been aroused for a while. He couldn't have been more than four inches.

He placed his paws flat on the stone as he looked away, chewing on his lip as he let me inspect him. I could see his heart beating through his chest as he tried not to squirm. There was a strong, musky smell in the air which was similar to the one he was describing earlier, and that was starting to drive me into a frenzy that I had to contain. I couldn't be forceful, or do whatever I wanted with him. This was for him first, and me second.

"It's only fair that I show you mine now, right?" I grinned, trying to lighten the heavy mood. I had to show Wren that all of this didn't have to be too serious, as I had quickly learned that sexual encounters at the ranch often happened without warning. It didn't always have to be serious lovemaking, just as long as it made everyone involved feel good. Hopefully he would learn that all of this smutty stuff wasn't a big deal.

I threw all of my clothes dangerously close to the edge of the pond, which was quite a scare as I definitely didn't want to walk back to the lodge with either wet jeans or my cock hanging out. I sat in a similar fashion that Wren did earlier, letting the cool air caress my skin until I was fully hard. The Sneasel couldn't help but stare at me, as he had entirely forgotten about acting all shy now that we were both exposed.

"Are all humans that large?" he asked in a hushed tone, afraid that he was making too much noise, and someone would notice us. The Noctowl was close by, but I imagined he didn't care too much. "I feel rather inferior now."

"I'm an average size, actually," I laughed, causing him to chuckle softly as well. When I first met Wren, I never would have imagined we would be sitting next to a pond and looking at each other's junk. There had to be something magical about this ranch that just brought out all these lusty situations. "Don't worry about it though, I'm not the type that cares about stuff like that."

I knew just waiting around like this was probably killing him with how horny he must have been, all locked up and with no way to pleasure himself. It wasn't an aspect I first thought about when I considered Wren's past, but now that it had come into play it just made me want to protect him more. If he was going to be by my side, then he'd need to be as well-versed in all things sex-related as everyone else here.

Thinking that enough was enough, I knelt forwards and crawled towards him on all fours, and if any Pokémon were hiding in the bushes to watch what was unfolding, they would have got a perfect view of my ass and balls. Wren flinched, but held his ground as I came closer. Even being near him was enough to make me shiver, but I powered through it until I was right next to him.

"Want a look at my backside too, or are you okay?" I smiled, half-joking as I couldn't help but tease the inexperience ice type. I felt like some of Hannah's playfulness was rubbing off on me. Wren looked puzzled for a moment, like he hadn't really considered it before and didn't know how to respond. "Better for you to get an eyeful now rather than later."

He just nodded, which was surprising. Maybe I was expecting too much of Wren, and he didn't seem like the type to understand when other people were kidding or not being entirely serious. I didn't want to exactly shove my butt in his face, but I had pretty much walked right into that one, and not being one to go back on my word, I turned around in a half-circle so that I was looking out into the treeline.

"And it feels good there too, yes?" he asked, and his frigid breath tickling against me made me supress a surprised yelp. "I never would have thought."

"We can save that for another time," I laughed, and even though I wouldn't admit it, doing that had just gotten me more in the mood for what was to come next. I couldn't even use the excuse that the ranch was corrupting me, as that desire had probably been hidden away deep in my personality. Arceus, please forgive me for being so perverse.

I let him look over my butt for a few more seconds as a physical lesson of sorts. It was better to be thorough, so he knew what he was eventually getting into, and now I thought it was finally time to get to the main event. Repositioning myself once again around the hard stone, I noticed that Wren's expression had changed. Now that he had received a good look at me, and things became more comfortable, he smiled confidently. It wasn't a lusty grin, but rather as a way to say thanks that I had shared myself with him so intimately.

"Are you ready now?" I asked, watching as more precum dribbled out of his tip and dripped onto the flat stone. I was surprised he could hold himself back for that long, as if I had gone as long as he had without masturbating or anything, my urges would be uncontrollable.

He nodded, and I brought a gentle hand down to touch at his member. Instead of feeling a familiar warmth, the moment my fingertips contacted his dick, they almost recoiled. It was cold. Not as drastic as touching ice, but it still shocked me that it wasn't giving off any warmth. It made sense, since he was an ice type, and I only hesitated for a couple seconds before wrapping my hand around him fully.

He was squirming already, as the warmth of my hand probably felt heavenly against his cold cock. He let out a misty breath, as instead of getting warmer the more aroused he got, he began to get even colder. The stone slab we were sitting on hadn't warmed up at all, and even the water closest to us started crystallising as his icy aura mingled with it. It made it difficult to keep focused, not only on my own arousal, but on pleasuring him. Without any clothes on, it felt like I was about to freeze.

I massaged his dick. Instead of pumping my hand up and down frantically, I thought it would be much better to take things as slow as possible. I wanted him to savour every moment of my warm touch, and as his eyes closed in bliss while my grasp slowly worked its way down his shaft, the frigidness in his posture seemed to melt away. He wasn't all tensed up anymore, as he solely focused on my hand. I rubbed my thumb against his cock slit, coating his tip with his own precum.

It was my first time giving a hand job to someone that wasn't myself, but the same general rules seemed to apply. His small size made it easy to get my entire hand around, and whenever I reached the base of his cock, I tickled at his furry balls with my spare fingers. His legs twitched every now and then whenever I would speed up slightly, and his claws would sometimes scrape against the stone. He was being so cute that I couldn't help but bring my other hand down to my own dick and tug at the sight.

After about a minute, I knew that he wasn't going to last much longer. It was impressive that he had managed to go more than a few seconds without blowing his load all over my hand, and I decided to reward him for his endurance. My hand paused at his base as I leaned forwards, getting onto all fours again. My ass was lifted for another time, and the chilling air made me tense up a little. Before he could react, I placed my mouth around his cock while continuing to massage the base.

I had never tasted a guy before, and it wasn't entirely unpleasant. As I brought my lips down against his dick, I brought my tongue forwards and sucked, trying to taste as much of his precum that I could. I began to lose myself in the musky scent of sweat and the salty taste of the Sneasel that was now my Pokémon. He almost slurred in protest when I began to suck him off, but as soon as he realised how amazing it felt, he swallowed down his words. Even with my warm mouth sealed around it, his dick still didn't warm up. I imagined this was what sucking on icicle felt like.

Now that he was beginning to reach his climax, I milked his cock as best I could. He started to buck upwards into my mouth, pressing my head against his stomach as I tried my best to hold my breath. Both of my hands were occupied, and as I was too focused on my own pleasure, I jerked at Wren's dick with the same force that I did my own. That became too much for him, as he gave a final laboured thrust against the roof of my mouth.

With little warning, I finally felt a warm sensation as hot cum burst from the tip of his prick. He groaned as he finally got the chance to unload his seed, and I tried to gulp as much of the sticky fluid down that I could. It was thick, and the taste was bitter, likely because he hadn't ejaculated for a long time. I barely got a chance to breathe beforehand, and I spluttered against his still throbbing shaft. I wasn't going to let myself choke, so I finally lifted my head back up and let him shoot the last remaining strands against my lips and chin.

I didn't get the chance to finish myself off, as the cold chill that Wren created was just too much for me to reach completion. We would need to work on his temperature control, as it would be pretty inconvenient for the surroundings to freeze over every time he got aroused. I could care less about climaxing myself, as the whole reason I had done this in the first place was for Wren to blow off some steam.

It had definitely worked. Instead of a face conflicted with emotion that I would usually see from the Sneasel, all he could do was pant and smile lazily as he tried his best to keep his composure. The red feather adorning his head drooped forwards as his chest heaved, and he had to grip onto the edges of the flat stone to keep himself from falling over. He had emptied himself completely, and the afterglow must have been so strong that he was having trouble staying conscious.

I wiped off the already-hardening semen from my mouth and laughed softly. Nothing broke boundaries between two people faster than a session like this. Even though I already felt close with Wren, as I watched him smile in contented bliss, my heart fluttered with joy. He was my Pokémon now, and even though things would be a little difficult introducing him to everyone else, I was prepared to devote all that I had for him. Whether it be helping him out sexually, or emotionally, I would do my utmost to keep him happy.

"So, since you're under my care now, we can keep doing stuff like that as much as you want," I smiled, leaving him to recover for a moment while I grabbed the pile of clothes I had flung away earlier. My loins were screaming at me for release, but I would get the chance to fix that with Hannah, or Eloise, or whoever wanted to participate. "A pretty good deal, right?"

"I d-don't know what to say…" he stuttered, watching me in awe as I got dressed. The area was still freezing, but the sub-zero aura Wren had been exuding has ceased now that he was in control of himself again. "Why… are you so accepting of me, even at a time like this?"

"Because," I replied, pulling my shirt back over my head with some difficulty. "We may all have our own quirks and troubles, but at the end of the day, we're all just as strange as each other. You don't have to be so self-conscious anymore, since I doubt anything you could do now would change my mind about you."

"Even if I have these urges?" he asked guiltily, even though just a few seconds ago he looked completely at peace. It seemed like he still wasn't totally comfortable in his own skin, which was understandable. Wren was the type of Pokémon that you would have to cultivate over a long period of time, not one you can train or influence in a few days.

"Well, those urges have just become a part of why I like you so much," I grinned encouragingly, nodding at him in acceptance. The shabby looking Sneasel with the torn head-feather and dull colours just seemed to get more attractive as the seconds ticked by, and I had definitely made the right decision by befriending him. He really was a diamond in the rough.

"Very well," he admitted, finally giving in to my constant reassurance. Even though he didn't think so himself, I thought that he was one of the most charming people I had come across, even if he was a completely different species. I just had to make him realise that. "I will believe you."

"Feeling better now?" I asked, now completely clothed again. I could still taste him on my tongue, and I couldn't help but revel in the realisation of what we had just done together. I couldn't wait to give Hannah all the details, and even though Julian had made me promise that I would share all of my sexual escapades with him, I was going to try and hide this one from him until we sorted things out.

"Yes, although it is a strange sensation," he smiled, trying to stand up on the flat stone with shaky legs. He wiped himself down with his sharp claws as he gave one final lingering look across the pond. I wondered whether we would ever use this area again, as it was one of the more secluded places at the ranch. "I feel much lighter on my feet, like an intense weight has been lifted once again from my shoulders."

"From your crotch, you mean," I winked, trying out more of my joking on the eccentric ice type. From what I had gathered, Wren didn't really seem to understand the ins and outs of comedic conversation, since had been isolated from company for all of his life. Hopefully he would start to learn to be less serious and stoic when talking with others.

"That as well," he responded with an embarrassed chuckle, deftly jumping down from the flat stone onto the fallen leaves and twigs below. The sharp claws on his feet cut through the twigs with ease and sliced apart the leaves like they were thin paper. It was like he was made to be running through this type of environment.

"Right!" I clapped my hands together, startling the Sneasel somewhat. We had spent long enough canoodling in the woods, and I did have other people to see and work to do, so leaving Wren with Hannah in the lodge was the best option. I didn't even want to think about putting him in a Pokéball, as I wanted to keep the time he had to spend in there to a minimum. "Since you're with me now, you'll need to follow me to the ranch and meet everyone else."

Now that we were all calmed down and cleaned up, I lead Wren out of the forest and into the bright hills of the ranch. He still seemed apprehensive of the outside world, but now that he was by my side, he was brave enough to walk through the dirt pathways leading up to the lodge. He would be with me for life now, and my job entailed trekking through all of this land, so getting accustomed to this place was vital for him.

"This lodge…" Wren began, grinding to a halt behind me once the imposing building came into view. I had forgot how large the place looked on the outside, and to him, this probably seemed like a castle or palace. He grimaced doubtfully at the wooden structure. "Will the Gallade that I injured be inside here?"

"I don't think he's here right now, but this is where we all hang out on our breaks," I explained, watching as the Sneasel let out a sigh of relief. The guilt he felt about hurting Julian had to be crushing, and he was likely scared about what the imposing Gallade would do to him once they met. I knew Julian wouldn't do anything drastic, but it wouldn't be uncharacteristic for the swordsman to hold Wren in disdain. "Hannah, the woman you met earlier with me, and another worker – Brandon, should be the only ones inside just now."

Stepping into the building without another word, we soon entered the living room. A sparkling-clean Brandon lay on the couch with a fresh set of clothes, and Indra was curled up on the floor next to him. They both had their eyes closed, and didn't so much as stir when we came through the door. Hannah was actually awake, and was sitting on the armchair next to the large window facing the back garden. She turned with a shocked smile as she saw me enter with a nervous Sneasel peeking out from behind my legs.

"Everything go okay?" she asked, causing Brandon to groan in his sleep and snuggle further into the couch. It seemed like sleeping around the lodge was a common theme, and all of the workers likely didn't have that great a sleep schedule. At least I would fit right in with how late I would stay up sometimes.

"More than okay," I laughed, hoping that would get the point across about what we had done together. Wren was still extremely wary, and didn't dare take a step away from me as I stood in the doorway. I gave him a reassuring rub on the head, to the chagrin of my poor hand which had just warmed up, to make him calm down a bit.

"Awesome," she smirked, instantly understanding the situation I had implied. She shot a look over at Brandon who still didn't wake up, and she made a motion like she was about to throw a cushion at him, so he could meet Wren. He must have been a pretty heavy sleeper. "Eloise is still 'battling' with Baxter out in the garden, but he'll bring her in once she's tired herself out."

"Watching Oleander must have really put her in the mood for some fighting." I laughed, wanting so badly to go out and see what her version of battling was. I trusted my girlfriend's Minccino even though I had never met him personally, to be gentle with her. No Pokémon that Hannah owned could be bad, in any respect. "Poor Baxter… I don't think anyone could keep up with Eloise's energy."

"Meh… he's used to it," she shrugged with a smirk as she watched over the two Pokémon out in the garden. I couldn't see them from where I was standing, but I didn't want to move suddenly and leave Wren out in the open. He was almost as shy as Leilana. "It's not like he could battle seriously even if he wanted to."

"Anyway, I thought it would be better for Wren to stay around here today rather than in the woods." I explained, gesturing to the Sneasel who was shaking like a leaf by my side. He was intently focused on the Manectric snoozing next to the couch, and even though he must have understood that it was a trained Pokémon, it seemed like his time spent in the wild made him wary of any species. "We'll have to work everything out sooner or later, but for now, it'd be nice for him to stay somewhere quiet."

"I do not want to be a nuisance," Wren stated, remaining polite and respectful even though he had to be extremely nervous. He was rubbing his rugged claws together in an attempt to keep himself focused and composed. The room hadn't frozen over, so we were doing well so far. "But I want to make amends with everyone that I have concerned."

Upon listening to a voice that he had never heard before, Indra's ears perked up and twitched. His eyes opened menacingly as his fur began to crackle with static energy. The living room was filled with the shrill sound of popping electricity as the Manectric focused on the Sneasel who was as still as a statue. I didn't know how to get the intimidating canine to calm down, and I frantically looked over at Hannah who was equally clueless. The amount of power Indra was giving off had us all stunned.

Slowly, a calm hand was brought down to ruffle at Indra's fur. Strands of electricity were sent dancing up Brandon's arm as he rubbed at the dog's needle-like fur. Indra let out a low, muffled growl at Wren while still lying down. It must have been a warning of sorts, and I realised that the Manectric had to be extremely protective of his trainer. He was only being so aggressive because his master was asleep and defenceless.

"Shh… calm down, boy," Brandon yawned, trying to put his guard dog at ease. How he managed to tussle Indra's fur while it was alive with electrical energy was a mystery, as the hair on Brandon's arms was standing straight up and sparking. It looked like it should have been painful. "You're probably scaring everyone…"

As if realising that he had fallen asleep, Brandon jerked awake to find quite the scene. Wren looked absolutely terrified, and had taken a couple steps backwards toward the door. I had a firm grasp on one of his claws, even though it felt like the blood running through my hand was going to freeze. Hannah had stood up in alarm, looking astounded that Brandon had so casually quelled the thunderstorm that was Indra. He smiled, partly in confusion, as he propped himself up on the couch.

"He doesn't do that very often," he laughed, still petting the Manectric who had since dulled down quite a bit. He still had a glowing aura of yellow and blue sparks, but it had lessened in intensity as he was reassured by his trainer. "The Sneasel must have spooked him quite a bit when he woke up."

"Arceus, I thought I was going to have a heart attack," Hannah laughed, clutching at her chest now that the shock was over. She wasn't lying, as the electric canine was so fierce that I couldn't help but shiver reflexively. I knew that Indra was just doing his duty to protect his trainer, but it was still worrying to see such malice directed toward Wren. "He could rival Amon in terms of sheer intimidation."

"Aw, c'mon…" Brandon cooed, scratching behind the Manectric's ear. Indra's eyes closed in bliss as he leaned against his trainer's hand, and his muzzle curved into a smile. Even the tip of his angular tail began to shake back and forth. "He's just a big softie under all that electricity, isn't that right?"

"You just scared Wren half to death," Hannah huffed, placing her fists on her hips in disapproval. I was too stunned to speak up, and still busy trying to console a Sneasel who looked like he would rather be anywhere else than inside this lodge. I had wanted his introduction to go smoothly, but things were never that simple. This wasn't even the person I was worried about introducing him to.

"No, it is alright," Wren responded while joining my side again. His bravery was admirable, as even though he was met with such hostility, he soldiered on to be polite and accepting as possible. If this was how he responded to conflict now on, then maybe I was worrying too much about how things with Julian would turn out. "I understand a Pokémon's want to protect and alert those that they are closest to."

"Ah, so this is the Sneasel I've heard so much about," Brandon smiled warmly, trying his best to bring a cheerful atmosphere back to the living room. If there was one thing that the tanned worker exceled in, it was making someone feel welcome. "The name's Brandon, and this little charmer here is Indra."

I had still never heard Indra speak, and it seemed like he much preferred to stay silent and let his trainer do the talking. Even though he was imposing, I somewhat understood what Brandon meant when he called him harmless. His cheerful demeanour had to have rubbed off on the Manectric, if only a little. They had been together for a while, so Indra must have learned to at least tolerate others while his trainer treated everyone with kindness and respect.

"It is nice to meet you both," Wren smiled, looking grateful that he finally being treated warmly. When I had first encountered the ice type, I had thought that he was abrasive and difficult to talk to, but his true nature couldn't be further from the truth. He only had a rather complex way of speaking, and that was it. "My name is Wren, and I will be under the care of Alex from now on, so I hope that we can all get more acquainted as time goes by."

He had likely rehearsed that opening line, and it was so cute that it made me smile almost as wide as Brandon did all the time. Hannah seemed to think the same, as she supressed a smirk while she pretended to be very interested in what was happening out in the garden. I couldn't blame Wren, since he was nervous about meeting new people, but he was acting like he was in a job interview, not meeting my friends. All he needed now was a suit and tie.

"You'll fit right in here," Hannah added, giving me a sly smirk to congratulate me on my recent sexual endeavour. It had to have been obvious to her what I had done with Wren earlier, and I grinned lovingly back at her. "If you enjoy fucking, then you'll be making friends quite quickly."

"Aw, nobody told me that Wren enjoyed getting down and dirty!" Brandon cheered, standing up as he couldn't contain his excitement. He was still soft-spoken even when being enthusiastic, and his reaction was so genuine that we all couldn't help but laugh. "I would've given him a much warmer welcome!"

Wren's eyes seemed to glaze over as he held back a sniffle. He was probably expecting to be shunned by my co-workers, but he was getting a taste of just how kind and welcoming they could be, Brandon especially. He didn't look nervous anymore, and his chipped-tooth smile made his face radiate the same cheerful-ness that Brandon was sending his way. I felt my own heart flutter too, as it was so nice to see Wren socialise somewhat. The room actually seemed to get warmer, as the Sneasel's icy aura had faded away entirely.

That was, until, the door opened behind where Wren was standing. My new team member was cast in a tall shadow by a looming figure. Everything happened so quickly, with the atmosphere of warmth being replaced by one of tension before he had even stepped into the lodge. His eyes were obscured by his visor as he looked down at the grinning Sneasel in a mixture of contempt and shock. He didn't move a single muscle as everything fell into silence. Everyone's laughing was cut short as we all realised at different times just who was entering the living room.

"What…" he began, arm blades starting to gleam as he finally looked up. His crimson eyes tightened with rage as they focused on my mortified face. "Is he doing in here…?"


	10. Lady of the Lake

"Julian, please calm down!" I dived in front of my Sneasel who was starting to cower in the presence of the violent Gallade. I stretched out both of my arms to create a physical barrier between them both, prepared to lose my limbs if he decided to slash away with his razor-sharp blades. I had no time to be anxious or timid, and I was prepared to lay down my life for Wren like I had done for Julian when they had fought. "I can explain everything!"

"Explain what?" he spat, seething with anger as he tried to get a good look at Wren hiding behind me. His green visor was still specked with purple splotches from where he had been hit by Ice Shard, and I winced at the sight of them. He had a right to be angry. "That you've accepted a Pokémon who attacked the ranch and injured me, and was seconds away from killing you!?"

"Julian, quit being an ass!" Hannah shouted, stomping over to my side. Even though she had a thin frame and pink hair, she managed to adopt a sense of authority that I assumed she had gained from her battling background. She stood with her legs wide apart and unmoving, ready to block any movement that the Gallade would make. "Have you even stopped to consider what Wren has to say?"

"What could he even say that would change my mind about him!?" he retorted back, voice rising in intensity to match my girlfriend's. He leaned forwards and bared his teeth, intending to challenge Hannah. She didn't even flinch as their faces came dangerously close together, their glares crashing into each other. I had no idea that Hannah could be so ferocious. "This is all happening because of Thomas' shitty idea to capture him!"

"No, it's happening because of your awful attitude!" Hannah retaliated while poking Julian in the chest, managing to overpower the Gallade with a demonstration of sheer will. He backed off with a scowl, but still kept his dangerous blades poised and ready for a strike. He likely wasn't used to other people opposing him in such a way. "Take a second and breathe, then let's all talk this out like fucking adults, okay!?"

Somehow, Hannah had managed to diffuse the situation before it boiled over. Julian still looked ready to tear everything to sheds, but he stalked over and seated himself on one of the red armchairs. He avoided eye contact and instead glowered at the corner of the room, giving off such an unpleasant, unapproachable feeling that it was making me angry. Wren looked ready to burst into tears, and I knelt down in an attempt to console him. He too, pushed his head away to avoid my eyes as he whimpered.

Thankfully, Eloise wasn't present to have seen everything devolve into a shouting match. Brandon excused himself to check on her and Baxter, likely because he felt that this wasn't his argument to get involved in. Although, I suspected that it pained him to see everyone at each other's throats due to his kind nature. Either way, we were down to just four people in the lodge's living room. Hannah still hadn't left my side, and I felt like leaning on her like a crutch for support, but I took a deep breath and readied myself for the conversation that was to come. I had to be as strong as her.

The silence was unbearable. Wren looked like he so badly wanted to say something, but the words just couldn't leave his throat. Nobody wanted to start the conversation, and we were all at a complete impasse. Julian's dislike for Wren stemmed from the injuries he had sustained, and the damage caused to the ranch, but I suspected it went much deeper than that. He had once mentioned that he couldn't read dark types at all, and that unsettled him. If we could prove that Wren had good intentions, then maybe he wouldn't be so hostile. It was the first time that I had experienced such conflict at the ranch, and I felt responsible for it.

"Julian, where's Katie?" Hannah asked passively, trying to get us all talking again without things being too heavy. She was acting like they hadn't just been shouting at each other a couple minutes ago, and I admired her ability to push her feelings aside for Wren's sake. This was all so he could finally have a place to feel safe, even if things were difficult right now.

"Just finishing off her rounds out in the fields," Julian responded, his tone dull and disinterested. If she had been here, then he probably wouldn't have reacted the way he did. Since they relied on each other so heavily, having one without the other must have left their emotions unbalanced. "She told me to go back to the lodge alone and that she would catch up later."

"You think she's tending to a horny Pokémon?" Hannah joked lightly, trying to put a smile back on the Gallade's face. I was afraid that she was pushing her luck, and that would only upset the angsty swordsman further, but she knew Julian far better than I did. I had to keep reminding myself that I was a newcomer to their circle, even if they had all accepted me pretty quickly.

"Wouldn't surprise me," he replied, trying his best to hold back a conniving grin. His mouth twisted as the scowl wouldn't stay on his face, and eventually he let out a defeated sigh as he smirked softly. He glanced over at us for the first time since he had sat down, careful to avoid looking directly at Wren. He couldn't stay explosively angry for very long, especially when in the presence of someone he had spent a lot of time with.

"Right, so let's try and work this out before she gets back, shall we?" Hannah smiled as she finally sat down next to me, confident that we could finally have a proper conversation without malice or rage. She gave an especially warm smile to Wren, which placated his anxiety somewhat. She was trying to create a situation where everyone could speak their mind and not be met with hostility. "We wouldn't want to upset her right after she just got some action."

"Okay, so uh, first… I want to say that neither of you are in the wrong here," I cautioned, voice barely more than a whisper. I was awful with these types of confrontations, as upsetting someone with my words was the last thing that I wanted to do. Hannah placed one of her hands on my leg, which was bouncing uncontrollably with nervous energy, as she sensed my uncertainty. "Julian, we're not trying to deny what happened here at the ranch, but you should at least listen to Wren's reasoning."

I gave Wren a gentle clasp on the back, and he had either started to become aware of his body temperature, or I was just getting acclimated to how damn cold he was. It made me wonder if all ice types gave off the same chill no matter their species. The type itself was relatively rare, so I doubted that I would get the chance to find out soon. Spurred on by my encouragement, he hesitated for a brief second before looking straight at the curt Gallade.

"You may view me as some… savage who attempted to ransack this establishment, and while my actions are reprehensible, I viewed it as a necessary evil which was crucial to my survival in the wild," Wren clarified, his flowery language leaving us all astounded. He looked up at Julian with genuine, pleading eyes while maintaining a very matter-of-fact tone. The Gallade instantly sat forwards in the red arm chair with a puzzled look on his face, clearly surprised at the eloquence that was being displayed by the scruffy Sneasel.

"You see, I was once under the care of another," he began, and I felt a sudden twinge of pain as all the memories of Wren's trainer came flooding back again. "And while I do not desire to reveal that information again, it can be said that I was not treated… with the level of respect that I deserved."

"I do not wish to assume things about your life, Julian, but if I was to hazard a guess, you were born in the wilds of this region, yes?" he continued, and he was so dedicated to telling his tale that he left no time for a response from any of us. Julian was completely floored, and instead of looking enraged, he just sat emotionless as he offered Wren courtesy to continue. "You have likely experienced what one must do if they are to survive effectively, even if those days seem but a distant memory now."

If I remembered correctly, Julian had been captured by Katie in the routes surrounding Petalburg. He had a life before he met her, one that must have been harsh at times. It was hard to view the Gallade as a Pokémon who once had minimal human contact, because I had gotten so accustomed to how sentient and intelligent he was. Even a psychic type like him had to hunt and forage for his food in the wild, and I noticed a glimmer in his eyes once his past had been mentioned.

"While the situation with my previous trainer was not luxurious by any means, I had not been raised to survive in the conditions that the wilds demanded of me," Wren winced, trying to keep his composure as he recalled back to the horrible state that we all found him in. Bloodied, covered in dead leaves and ravenous. It was a far cry from the small, almost pitiable Sneasel who sat before us today. Even though I had heard his story once before, it didn't make it any less impactful. "When I was left stranded here in this region, I didn't have the skillset to sustain myself."

"So, you were desperate?" Julian simply asked, looking almost embarrassed that he didn't have anything else to say. I couldn't blame him because if you had just viewed Wren based on the single action of attacking that Lillipup, then you would conclude that he was a dangerous Pokémon that should be dealt with.

"Yes," Wren nodded, pausing for a second to take a look over at me. I gave him a proud, considerate smile as he was holding up so well and he returned the gesture. "This establishment just so happened to cater to my needs at the time, and while that is no excuse for my vile actions, I hope that you can understand just how much people can change when necessities such as food become scarce."

"I get you," Julian admitted, gritting his teeth as he didn't want to so quickly change his opinion. "I still don't think very highly of you for attacking a human, but I know what it's like to live on the edge like that, where every day could have been your last."

His last point made me curious to learn more about his past. While he could just delve into every human's history, we had no such ability. Even though things had turned sour between us ever since Wren made an appearance, I still thought that we were on good terms. I wondered if it would be insulting to ask him to tell me more about where he had come from.

"I am not seeking for the two of us to become companions or comrades," Wren stated after looking shocked for a moment. He was being entirely honest with his feelings, and it was understandable that he didn't want to get very close to Julian. I couldn't imagine the two of them getting on well together, but as long as there was no ill will between them, that didn't really matter.

"Exactly," Hannah interjected, likely having thought the same herself. "You guys are a part of two separate teams with two different trainers, and nobody's asking you to suddenly love each other."

"You'll probably be seeing a lot of one another, though," I added, thinking things were starting to wrap up nicely. If we always believed that everyone could get along not just sexually, but in genuine terms of friendship, then things would fall apart pretty quickly. Everyone's personalities differ wildly, so there are just going to be some people that you will never see eye-to-eye with. "Just as long as there's no more fighting, then we can all forget about this whole mess."

"Yeah, I guess I was being a dick back there," Julian said, surprisingly bowing his head and splaying his arm blades in apology. I had never expected him to submit to someone else, but it just solidified the fact that the Gallade really was a nice guy. A little hot-headed, but passionate about the things he believed in. "I should have considered your feelings, Wren."

"You are not entirely at fault," Wren replied, dipping his head down to show that there was now a solidarity between them. His ripped head-feather flopped over and obscured a section of his face, and his eyes were closed in appreciation. "I must offer my apologies too, for causing you injury, and creating undue stress for everyone involved."

"That Ice Shard stung like a bitch," Julian grinned, reverting back to his trickster antics now that he had shown a moment of vulnerability. I was so thankful that nobody here seemed to linger on past feelings, and that they understood that letting things go was important. "For someone with little survival experience, your attacks packed quite the punch."

"I could say the same to you," Wren chuckled, and even though most his cuts had begun to scab over and become hidden under his dense fur, it was hard not to remember how beaten-up he was by Julian's Close Combat. "Although you must have experience that is far greater than mine."

"We all good now?" Hannah asked, clasping her hands together happily. I had noticed that she seemed to be energised by the people around her, as she acted much more laid-back when she was just with me. I wouldn't go as far to say that she was putting on act for others, but the way her mood was influenced by different people was definitely intriguing. She could be nervous to talk to people one moment, then be leading the conversation the next.

"Yeah, for the moment at least," Julian sighed, standing up slowly. He finally dropped his arm blades to his side, sheathing his dangerous swords to show Wren that he was no longer a threat. He gave my Sneasel a respectful nod as he strode across the room, regally passing over all of us to the door. "As long as he does nothing like that again, then there's not a problem anymore."

"Isn't Katie just coming back?" I asked, wondering why he was making such a quick exit. I couldn't shake the feeling that I got when I saw Julian's façade crack when his past was mentioned. It was subtle, but there was a look in his eyes that was sullen, almost regretful. Maybe I was just overthinking things.

"Yeah, I just…" he paused, green hand hesitating above the doorknob. "Need to thank her for something."

Leaving those vague words to hang in the air, Julian exited the lodge much more peacefully than he had entered it. Wren let out a strained sigh as he collapsed backwards onto the couch, finally able to relax now that his issue with the Gallade had been resolved. I was impressed with the way he was able to convince Julian with only a few sentences, and even though he was awkward and introverted, he had an innate skill with persuading people. He was definitely sharper than he looked, in more ways than one.

"That went well," Hannah commented as she finally took her hand off of my knee. She too, seemed more relaxed now that the swordsman had went to seek out his lover. I couldn't forget how vigorously she had assaulted Julian with her words, and she must have thought strongly about Wren's place here.

"Thank you so much, Hannah," I beamed, giving her a small hug. If it wasn't for her, then who knows where we would be right now. She had managed to talk some sense into Julian when he was angry, and got him to start talking again when he was sulking in the corner. I certainly wouldn't have been able to do that.

"Oh, stop it," she blushed, pushing me away bashfully as she didn't like to receive any praise. She was incredibly humble, not only when it came to her achievements in battling, but just in every day life. "Julian's just pretty simple, even if he seems all smart and mysterious. You just need to shout at him a bunch and then bring up Katie, then he's really easy to convince."

"It seems as if you have been through these types of predicaments before, Hannah," Wren noted, and it surprised me with how easily he was engaging in our conversation. I had expected him to quieten down now that we had solved the issue, but maybe Wren was trying hard to be involved in things. Even if it made him uncomfortable.

"When he isn't able to use his psychic powers, Julian's very quick to judge others and jump to a conclusion," she replied, smiling at my Sneasel kindly. She was still trying her best to make him feel at home, and I had never seen her treat a grown Pokémon like one of the hatchlings. She must have viewed him as needing just as much nurturing as those who were newly born. "That's part of the reason why he's such a strong protector of this place."

Julian and Wren may have been completely different, but I still felt extremely grateful to the both of them. One had protected me and given me guidance when I had most needed it, and the other helped me understand just how to help Pokémon and form connections with them. It felt nice to call them both my friends, and the latter a member of my team. I wondered if I would ever come across a truly 'bad' Pokémon at this place.

Before I could think upon the matter any further, Brandon came in from the back entrance with a snoozing Eloise cradled in his arms. It looked like she had expended all of her energy and couldn't stay awake anymore, and even though I was disappointed that she wasn't conscious to meet Wren for the first time – I knew that they would be learning all about each other soon enough. It was better to let her sleep and recover.

Entering behind the muscled worker was the Minccino who I had been so curious to meet. He had partly been involved in the raising of Eloise so far, and I had never even spoken a word to the furry normal type. He was one of Hannah's trusted Pokémon, even though he looked rather young and inexperienced. More than that, he was absolutely adorable. He had massive shining eyes and ears larger than his head. His fur gave off the same sheen as Britney's and his tail swept against the floor as he walked, his stubby legs barely able to carry him.

"I swear, that Swablu is something else!" he panted, trying to slick down a tuft of fur on his forehead that was sticking straight up. The fur around his armpits was damp, and he looked uncomfortable to have worked up such a sweat. Minccino never liked to be dirty or disorganised. Even still, he maintained a cute smile.

I was handed the Swablu he was referring to, and she immediately cuddled into my lap without a word. I had never met someone who could have slept through being carried like that, but Eloise seemed completely exhausted. Her cloudy wings were looking less puffy as she had likely lost some of her feathers while play fighting with Baxter. I gave her chin a loving scratch as I wanted to let her sleep as much as she wanted.

"Have you seen her use any moves yet?" Hannah asked, patting the tiny space next to her for the Minccino to sit on. The couch was getting cramped, with everyone in the room but Brandon choosing to use it. The tanned worker ducked into the kitchen, going about his business without disturbing us too much. Baxter climbed up the couch with great difficulty until he was finally sitting against the armrest.

"I think she might've used Peck!" he exclaimed happily, tail swishing against the couch as Hannah patted down his front. Some of his long, grey fur had become matted with all the tackling and dodging he had done. He seemed to enjoy being groomed, and it wouldn't have surprised me if she had a special brush that she used just for him. "I couldn't be sure though, since even just normal attacks with her beak hurt already."

"It's good practice for you," Hannah said, while lovingly patting her Minccino on the head with her other hand. It was really cute the way she was fawning over him, and she treated each of her team members with the same level of respect and attention. Even though he wasn't fuzzy and adorable, the way she tended to Oleander was exactly the same. "I know you can't use proper attacks on her yet since she's still young, but she's probably helping you improve your dodging skills."

"Alex, whenever Eloise says she wants to battle, just let me know!" he giggled, raising both of his fists and flexing in a meagre attempt to show off his toughness. He was certainly enthusiastic about having someone to spar with, and it was nice that he was either on the same experience level as Eloise, or just slightly higher. "I'm happy to help!"

I thought he would be quiet, since most small normal types usually were. Instead, he seemed to be constantly positive and wanting to prove himself. I imagined it was because he was a member of Hannah's team, which boasted some powerful Pokémon. His energy would certainly be useful when dealing with my hyper Swablu, so I nodded at the shining chinchilla with vigour.

"I'd love to watch the two of you fight," I encouraged, watching as Hannah finally got the last tug unravelled from his coat. She turned back to the rest of us with a tuft of grey fur in her hands with a smirk, and left the cosy couch to go and dispose of it. "With you as her partner, I'm sure she'd learn quickly."

"She's really cute too!" he laughed, apparently finding a reason to laugh in every word that I had said. He really was like a little ball of sunshine, and I could see why Hannah had taken a shine to him. He balanced out the more questionable Pokémon on her team, like Oleander. "Clueless types like her really get me going, so I wouldn't mind giving her some extra lessons, if you know what I mean!"

I heard a stifled chortle from Brandon in the kitchen and the sound of cutlery clattering to the floor, and I was so startled that I couldn't help but laugh in disbelief as well. Those words just didn't sound right coming from the lips of a cute Minccino, and he gave me a knowing grin that left me entirely speechless. There it was, the sign that he was a member of Hannah's team. I knew he had to have a strange quirk in there somewhere.

"Oh yeah, Baxter's also probably the friskiest member of my team, aside from Britney," Hannah said, returning with empty hands. She stopped to admire the little devil she had created with a sigh as the Minccino gave another innocent laugh, but I now knew that it was tinged with a less wholesome meaning. Wren looked just as astounded as I was. "It's kind of my own fault, since he doesn't really know any better."

I felt like I was staring at a future version of Eloise, if this was what Pokémon who had sexual experience right from when they were born looked like. Baxter flashed me a confident, charming smile as he tried his best to impress me. Maybe he wouldn't have such a good influence on my Swablu as I had originally thought, but I couldn't exactly say no to him now.

"I think this establishment will be the death of me," Wren whispered with wide eyes, and the fact that he was feeling comfortable enough to make a joke was both heart-warming and hilarious. The room erupted with laughter, Eloise still somehow sleeping through all of the noise, causing the Sneasel to blush furiously. I was definitely right about the ranch bringing out the best in everyone, even if things had gotten a little complicated recently.

* * *

It took about an hour before I remembered that I actually had work to be doing. The way Thomas ran his business definitely had its benefits, but it was hard to actually do your job when there wasn't someone barking orders at you. Hannah had finally pushed me out the door with the promise that she would look after Wren and Eloise, and I was left out in the unbearable summer heat. Autumn was fast approaching, but it certainly didn't feel like it. I envied the ranch Pokémon and their lack of clothes, although I imagined that the fire types and the furrier species were probably melting.

I picked a random direction and just starting walking, kicking up arid dust as I traversed the ranch's many winding pathways. If there was a map of this place, I definitely hadn't seen it yet. Everything was spread so far apart that it took forever just to get anywhere, as most of the space was taken up by rolling hills and barren plains. It was nice that the residents had so much room to run around and play in, but my ankles were screaming at me to sit down and take a break. The fitness of everyone here was beginning to make sense.

I was going to talk with the first Pokémon I came across, no matter who it was. I had to keep reminding myself that it was my job to get to know them, as it didn't exactly feel like working. Even though social interaction was incredibly taxing for me, I didn't have any physical duties like the other workers did. I should learn to how feed the residents, just so I could be useful in some way. All I was doing was trying to make friends while everyone else busted their asses.

Eventually, I found myself standing on the edge of a huge lake, looking across the tiny ripples and waves as my unkempt hair wildly whipped at my face. I hadn't even realised that I had walked so far north, and I must have been right next to the huge body of water I had seen on my first day here. Compared to the tiny, stagnant pond in the forest, this place was like a paradise. The water was incredibly clear for a river, like some of the sparkling sea water in Lilycove was flowing into it. I could even see obscured shadows dancing and weaving around in the water, likely the activity of the aquatic ranch residents.

I wondered how much money Thomas had spent just for this one area, as an artificial lake sounded crazy to construct. It wouldn't be impossible, since we were so close to a water source, but somehow connecting this place to Lilycove's sea must have taken a lot of time and resources. Thomas would have had to hire a construction company just to accomplish it. In fact, how long had this ranch been in the works?

"It's not often that people come all the way up here," I heard an elegant, female voice echo from somewhere next to me. I hadn't heard anyone walk close to me or anything like that, so when the voice suddenly spoke it caused me to take a startled few steps backwards. It sounded so perfectly divine even over the sound of the waves and wind.

Coiled next to me was a dripping Milotic, her sodden scales sparkling in the sunlight. She lay there amidst the grass like it was nothing, and I couldn't help but marvel at the sight of such a rare Pokémon. I had gotten accustomed to seeing much more common species around the ranch, but I had only ever heard stories or read textbook entries about this elusive one. There was one right in front of me, waiting for me to respond. I was so awestruck that I just stared at her snake-like form like an idiot.

"Uh, yeah," I responded dumbly, eliciting a pitiful chuckle from the water type. The sleek red feelers above her eyes bobbed along with her laughs as she shook off the remaining water from her reflective scales. "I hadn't been up here properly, and I wanted to see the lake."

"Beautiful, isn't it?" she asked, sighing as her eyes fell upon the horizon. The sun was just starting to dip down, casting an orange glow across the gentle waves. I would have been nervous at being close to such an uncommon Pokémon, but the sight put me at ease as I let my shoulders relax. "I see this sight almost every day, yet it never ceases to be amazing."

"Thomas must have spent a fortune to form a lake like this," I answered, sneaking another peek at the serpentine female lying across from me. Her body was so long that I couldn't tell where it actually ended, but she was definitely more than ten feet long. She was almost as intimidating as she was beautiful.

"Yes," she responded, her tender voice soft and clear. "Although, he wouldn't have accomplished the construction of this area without the aid of myself and the other water Pokémon."

"You helped build all this?" I questioned, shocked that I had come across another vital member of the ranch. Thomas had an odd form of hiring workers, as half of them seemed to be Pokémon that he had captured for the reason of building this place. It made me wonder just how many were simple residents of this place, and how many were involved in the actual success of the business.

"Oh, how silly of me – I forgot to introduce myself," she laughed again, starting to uncoil her rope-like form as she rose upwards. Her tail flicked water droplets in my direction, the scales looking almost like a stained-glass window. "My name is Evienne, and people here refer to me as the Lady of the Lake."

"Lady… of the Lake?" I repeated, puzzled at the title. It sounded like something out of a storybook or a fairy-tale, and I felt like I was in the presence of some princess. Her royal demeanour was strange, although it was befitting of such a rare and alluring species.

"I believe the Gallade that works here – Julian – gave me that moniker, and it just so happened to be adopted by everyone else," she smiled, taking pride in the title that had been bestowed upon her. Julian was probably joking around with her by giving her that name, but she had decided to take it seriously. It did give her a mystical presence that was impressive. "I've been employed at this ranch since its inception, to oversee and maintain the aquatic facilities."

"Oh yeah, I'm Alex," I smiled, watching as the Milotic basked in the summer heat. She must have been able to survive just as well on land than in the water, even if the sun was drying her out a bit. "You've probably already heard of me, though."

"Word does travel rather quickly in this place," she chuckled, raising one of her long hair-like appendages to her mouth as she laughed. Even though every movement she made was gentle, there was a great amount of power behind them. Her combined body weight must have been massive, and she could crush me in a heartbeat if she wanted to. "Even here, where land-dwellers are uncommon."

"So, what do you think of all this, just in general?" I questioned, trying to make myself seem professional. It was my duty to interview the ranch residents, and although she held more power here than some other Pokémon, this was still where she lived. "Staying at the ranch must be pretty different than living in the wild."

"Oh yes, definitely," she agreed, slithering closer to me and the edge of the water. Her movements were sluggish, but I imagined she was much more refined and deft when swimming through the lake. "There are pros and cons to both, I suppose."

"Like?" I asked, feeling like I should carry around a little notebook to write down everything that the ranch residents said. I would have to report this information to Thomas whenever he would check up on me, and my memory wasn't the greatest.

"Well, life here is much more relaxed," she sighed, smiling at her own reflection in the clear water. "With all of our worries taken care of, we can focus on more leisurely activities without feeling guilty about all of the time that we're wasting. It's peaceful, and I much prefer that to the stress of trying to survive."

"That does sound much better," I affirmed, not trying to speak up too much.

"If anything, things are sometimes too relaxed around here," she laughed, dipping her blue fan-like tail into the shallow water and watching the ripples it caused. She had a wistful look in her eyes. "There's not much excitement, and I think that's the reason why things have gotten so sexual around here."

"Really, you think?" I asked, and I had never considered it from that point of view. I had always assumed that because there were a bunch of trainers who were already poképhiles, it affected all of the other Pokémon under their care. From what I had heard, Hannah and the others didn't ask the residents for sex, but were actively requested themselves.

"Well, if you had nothing better to do, I'm sure you'd give in to your carnal desires soon enough," she winked suggestively, and I tried my best not to gulp audibly. It was intimidating to have such a beautiful, experienced Pokémon flirt with me. It was a huge step up from Leilana or Eloise. "Although enjoyable, there's not much fun to be had around here, so we create our own."

"So, you think if there were more things to do around here, it would be better?" I pondered, trying to come up with a solution to her problem. This lazy ranch did set your mind at ease, but I could understand how boring it would be to just live out your days here. The Pokémon were here all the time, and unlike us, they couldn't really leave to do something more interesting.

"I've always thought it would be more interesting to have structure around the things we do," she explained, turning away from the water so that her red eyes were locked onto me. It was nice to have a conversation with someone who was rational, and it was one of the first times that I felt like I was doing my job here. "Something to look forward to every week, even if it's small."

"So, like a weekly event?" I asked, trying to make sense of her idea. I couldn't think of many things we could do that would involve all of the ranch residents, as it was just too many Pokémon to cater for and keep track of. They all had their own wants and requirements. "Can you think of something that would make everyone here feel included?"

"Well, everyone at this ranch enjoys sex," she laughed nervously, trying to hide a faint blush that was beginning to redden her cream complexion. Her head was ducked low, so I couldn't exactly see how badly embarrassed she was. She probably thought it was unrefined to talk about such things. "How about a designated time where everyone meets up, instead of it being left up to the residents to seek out a partner?"

"A weekly orgy," I laughed, watching as the Milotic's eyes shot down to the grass in front of her. It looked like she was biting her tongue, which made her seem much cuter now instead of alluring and beautiful. Even though she was a long-time member, she still couldn't get past how awkward talking about it was. "Sex is about the most exciting thing you can think of, right?"

"And w-what's wrong with that?" she questioned, her red eyebrows furrowing in frustration as she huffed. Her voice was shaky, and it reminded me of the stereotypical tsundere girls you would see in trashy anime. At least I could say that all of my time spent alone in my room had given me some valuable life knowledge. Under that curt, royal demeanour was someone who probably had dirtier tastes than some at this ranch. "You're probably more perverted than I am!"

"Yeah, I'm not gonna deny that," I admitted, managing to suppress a blush of my own. I was becoming worryingly skilled at retaining my composure now, and if the ranch had helped with anything, it was my confidence. Evienne looked surprised that I was so willing to admit it, but she relaxed a bit now that she realised I wasn't going to make fun of her. "It's a clever idea though, so I'll bring it up with Thomas the next time I see him."

"I have not left the lake in a while… so I have only been able to satisfy myself with those who live here," she began, her feelers twitching uncomfortably as her gaze fell back on me. I noticed the way she took a long look not only at my face, but my whole body. It felt like she was appraising me. "In other words, I have not felt the touch of a human in quite some time."

"Well, if you can't wait any longer…" I grinned lustily, letting my unsatisfied libido overpower my sense of reason. My time with Wren had been nice, but I never got the chance to finish since I was so focused on making him feel comfortable. I was so pent-up that it was starting to hurt. "You can use me for your own pleasure, just as long as I get off as well."

"I had heard that you were willing to do things like this," she smiled, surprisingly not slapping me across the face with her tail for being so forward with her. She must have been really wanting, as only seconds ago she was berating me for being so vulgar. Her intention was soon evident as her expression shifted to something more predatory. "I do not offer my body to everyone, so you should feel privileged."

I had managed to somehow convince this Milotic that I was a worthy mate, and my disbelief was soon replaced by an overwhelming surge of arousal. This rare Pokémon was presenting herself to me, and I imagined that she was more experienced than any other that I had been with. The air soon became heavy as she began to slither towards me, gesturing for me to start undressing. I couldn't help but grin and internally thank Hannah for this opportunity. If she hadn't pushed me out the door, I wouldn't be getting eyed up by Evienne right now. I'd have to tell her all about what was going to happen.

It felt nice to stand naked on the edge of the river, as all of my constricting clothes were making me sweat under the sweltering sun. The soft breeze caressed my bare skin as I let out a relaxed breath, Evienne stopping in her tracks to look over me now that I was uncovered. My cock was already stiff with anticipation, not only due to how horny I was, but because the sight of such an alluring Pokémon was enough to arouse me. She was almost glowing, and her pure complexion was beautiful. She probably had this effect on everyone.

Her tongue lolled out of her mouth as she licked her lips, slowly coiling around me so she could get a view from every angle. I couldn't help but shiver as her cold scales brushed against my waist, and it took me a moment to realise that she was wrapping her body around mine. She was out of my sight now, and I could only watch as her pale body slowly looped its way around my legs. She was trapping me so that I couldn't move, but I was so desperate that I didn't care. Her head came back into my view as her long body finally came to a stop.

The weight was immense as she tried her best not to constrict me and squeeze the air from my lungs, and her scales were moist and cool. Suddenly, something much slicker than her scales dragged its way across my waist, leaving behind a sticky trail in its wake. She let out a hot breath as she showed me her slit, which was positioned right at the point where her cream body ended, and her blue tail began. It was large, and her puffy pink folds glistened among the rough scales that surrounded her hole. She was incredibly wet, not just because she was a water type, and my dick twitched at the sight of how drenched she was.

She manoeuvred her body so that her pussy rubbed against my head, coating it in her juices. I moaned as her soft folds parted ever so slightly, letting me feel the incredible heat of her body. My crotch was already soaked despite us not even starting yet, and I was about to make a comment about just how badly she must have wanted this, but the end of her tail suddenly slammed against my back as she forced me to enter inside her cunt.

She had almost winded me with how forcefully I was hit, but I couldn't even focus on the pain as she gyrated her long body. More of her juices oozed against me as she sank her tail down the length of my dick, and even though she wasn't tight, I could feel her walls part to accommodate my girth. She was constricting me so forcefully that it was impossible to thrust into her, but she tightened and coiled her serpentine form in such a way that her vagina gripped against my cock.

The sound of her moans rose over the wet, smacking sound of her tail as she used me only for her own pleasure. Her grinding was so powerful that she had knocked me off my feet, so all I could do was lay back on her coiled scales and watch her rise and fall onto my pole. The feeling was indescribable, as she had coated me in so much of her own juices that she could move far faster than even my own hand could.

I could feel her walls tense and relax as her long body rippled against mine, and it was an entirely new feeling now that I didn't have to put any effort into thrusting. I could just focus on her warmth as my dick was plunged repeatedly inside the water type. I let a soft moan escape my lips as her crimson feelers dropped down, caressing my chest as she rode me rhythmically. Her once-beige face was almost as red as her hair, which was trying to pull us even closer together.

She looked down so that her snout was poking against my nose, her thin maw pressing into my lips as she tried to silence her squeals. Her long tongue snaked its way across mine until it was reaching my throat as she moaned into my mouth, and I couldn't help but squirm as this Milotic had fully enveloped me. It was almost suffocating to have her entire body wrapped around mine, twisting and constricting as she squeezed against me.

I felt my thighs ache as I gripped against her body, trying to pull myself away from her salty tongue. She smelled like the ocean itself, and I had to be entirely drenched in her fluids at this point. She began to get even faster as she sensed my urgency, and I had to open my mouth wide just to groan out. She finally broke the kiss, her red feelers twitching wildly as she looked into my eyes.

She understood even though we exchanged no words, and I felt her body tighten even further as she constricted me as hard as she could. I thought she was going to crush my ribs as I cried out, her pussy suddenly tightening as she smacked her tail against my waist for a final time. I tensed my whole body and closed my eyes as I came, feeling her pulsating insides clamp down. I shot my cum deep inside her long, snaking form as every inch of skin that was touching her scales tingled with pleasure.

Before I had even finished, she lifted her tail and squirted a torrent of her juices all over me. Even my intense load paled in comparison to hers as she orgasmed, the splashing sound overpowering her high-pitched squeals. Flecks of liquid spattered across my face as I unloaded my final spurt of semen, which only slid off of the scales on her water-resistant tail. My head was cloudy as the constriction finally ceased, her lengthy body finally relaxing as she twitched.

She uncoiled, causing us both to fall back onto the grassy riverbank with laboured pants. Her body unspooled like a fire hose, and as I lay in a tangled mess of scales and a puddle of both our of fluids, I grinned as I smirked up at the blue sky. I finally knew that this was what the ranch was all about. I had never had such an odd sexual experience, but it felt just as meaningful as the traditional way of doing things. If I could handle a snake-like Pokémon without any limbs, then I could handle anything. I felt like the luckiest person alive, as I imagined this was the only place in Hoenn where impromptu sex was not only allowed, but encouraged by everyone.

My eyes were beginning to close as the silence of the afterglow was too tempting not to bask in. Evienne's body curled around mine in a much gentler way as she caught her breath, and I couldn't help but notice how sticky I was. It made sense for a water type to be so… wet, but I wasn't expecting just how much fluid they could produce. A shower was definitely in order, as I didn't want to spend the rest of the day smelling like a Milotic, but for now, I just wanted to lie back and rest under the beating sun. I didn't have a care in the world.

"It was probably a pleasant change of pace for you to not do any work," Evienne giggled, letting her iridescent tail flop lazily against the ground. She was already starting to dry from the combination of the sun and her scales, but I was still dripping wet. "You seem like a nice person, so I did my best to make you feel comfortable, even if my body shape is somewhat… unconventional."

"It was certainly a new experience," I laughed breathlessly, even though I had barely moved a muscle. My lower back was still aching from when she had slammed her tail against me, but the rest of my body felt oddly refreshed. Her lithe body writhing against mine had almost acted like a massage, and I rubbed at my shoulder as I sat up and looked around. "You were my first water type, so I wasn't expecting just how much of a mess we'd make."

"Yes, that is one drawback to my anatomy," she admitted with an embarrassed expression. The grass surrounding our bodies was totally soaked like it had been drenched by a torrential rainstorm, and I just hoped that my clothes had remained slightly dry. The lodge was pretty far away, and I hadn't even thought about bringing a spare outfit to keep in Hannah's room. "You may want to wait a moment before returning to let the sun dry you off a bit."

* * *

It took a while of laying spread-eagled on the grass before I finally stopped dripping everywhere. Evienne and I joked and talked casually together, her winding body still tangled around me. She was an interesting Pokémon, and I felt glad to have made her acquaintance. My job here would only get easier the more residents I befriended, and I was off to a good start. My messy hair was still wet, and it looked like I had just taken a dip in the lake, but I donned my surprisingly clean clothes and travelled all the way back down to the lodge after saying goodbye to the alluring Milotic.

"The Lady!?" Hannah squealed incredulously upon my return after I had given the details of my encounter. She pulled me into a proud hug and tussled my damp hair with vigour, treating me like I had just accomplished something important. I had no idea why she was so excited, but I let her embrace me just because her body was so warm. "You seriously went a round with the Lady of the Lake?"

"Yeah…?" I questioned after she had finally let me go. Her eager tone had apparently attracted the attention of everyone else at the lodge, and I suddenly felt the spotlight shine on me as Brandon, Katie and Julian all leaned out of the kitchen with curious expressions. "Is that a big deal or something?"

"She's built up quite the reputation around here," Julian interjected, still hiding in the kitchen doorframe. His tense posture from earlier had dissolved, and he looked to be entirely back to normal. It probably had something to do with Katie who was hanging off of his shoulder. "Not just for being really attractive, but for being incredibly picky as to who she has sex with. You landed a big fish without even knowing it."

"So, how was it?" Hannah asked excitedly, clasping her hands together and encouraging me with a smile. I still didn't feel entirely comfortable discussing such things with so many people around, but her eyes were shining so brightly that I couldn't say no. Wren's attention had also been peaked as he left one of the armchairs and padded over to me.

"Well, wet…" I laughed, sending a wave of understanding nods throughout the room. From what I had gathered, nobody had a water type on their teams but they all seemed to be aware of what they were capable of. The sexual differences between different species was fascinating to me, and I wondered how such things weren't well documented. "She coiled around me, so I couldn't move that well, and she did most of the work herself.

"Damn," Brandon whistled. "I'm not even into girls but that sounds like a great time."

"I just think it's funny that Alex can deal with such an intense partner and he was only introduced to this whole thing a few days ago," Katie grinned, looking almost as proud as Hannah. I didn't know just how much Julian told her about what occurred earlier today, but her attitude toward me hadn't changed. She must have accepted Wren's presence. "You've got potential as a serious poképhile."

"Well, with the way things are going right now, I'll be on the same level as you guys in no time," I said, leaning back into the couch with a tired sigh. The day was drawing to a close already, since Hannah and I had spent so much time getting my trainer's licence. I was looking forward to finally bringing Wren home so that he and Eloise could interact properly. "I've definitely been worn down though. I could probably sleep for a week and still not feel recharged."

"Hopefully you'll be raring to go for tomorrow again, yeah?" Katie asked, eyeing up both me and Wren. I wasn't too sure that he would be joining us in our sexual escapades, but then again, they way he's been starting to act has been surprising. Maybe he would be up for it, and it would mean that Eloise wouldn't be the only member of my team attending. "I've already explained what we're gonna be doing to Wren, so he has time to think about it."

"Speaking of orgies, actually…" I began, beckoning for the Sneasel to come up and sit next to me. He still wasn't entirely comfortable with getting to close to people, so I would have to show him that it was okay to do things without asking for permission. "While I was talking to Evienne, she suggested that we should hold a weekly one that everyone attends."

"I wouldn't be against that," Hannah nodded, with an impressed look in my direction. I felt a warm sense of pride as it felt nice to be finally doing my job. Even if it did entail something that would just increase the amount of sex this place sees, at least I was the one who instigated it. "It makes it easier for both us and the Pokémon, but it's ultimately down to Thomas."

"It's good to see that you're actually doing the work Thomas is paying you for," Julian winked, and his words would normally be biting if not for the jovial tone he had said them in. He had a roundabout way of paying compliments, but I could tell that they were genuine. I was finally starting to figure out the psychic type. "I'm dying to get home for the weekend though, so if that's all, we're gonna take off a little early."

"Yeah, the rest of you should probably get going as well," Hannah yawned, sprawling her entire body out across the couch as she stretched. It seemed like even her boundless energy had its limits, and we were technically all sitting around in her house. I had to keep reminding myself that she actually lived at this lodge. "I'll lock up once you all get off your asses."

"Okay, make your way over to my place at about six," Katie explained casually, grabbing her purse that was lying on the dining table. Julian stayed extremely close behind her, and it was the first time that I noticed he was a lot more muted while she was around. He acted like her bodyguard, supressing most of his emotions so he could stay vigilant. His desire to protect her was unlike anything I had ever seen. "We can order food or whatever once everyone arrives."

The living room soon cleared out until only me, Hannah, Wren and a dazed Eloise were left. She was finally starting to wake up, and she had been snoozing for so long I was worried that she wouldn't sleep properly tonight. She must have over-exerted herself in her fake battle with Baxter, and I would definitely need to have a talk with her about restraint. Having her pass out during the day and being awake all night was not something I wanted to be become a routine.

"You stink," Hannah laughed, feigning disgust as she pulled on the front of my shirt. I couldn't really argue with her, since I was still covered in Evienne's scent. It was like a mixture of sweat and sea water, and I all I could do was laugh along with her as she recoiled after cuddling into me. "You're having a shower as soon as you get home."

"Who are you, my mum?" I asked, pulling her tighter into the hug just so that she would have to suffer along with me. I was still a little wary of showing her such affection in front of Wren, but he gave me a soft smile as he perched himself atop one of the couch's arms. It looked like I wouldn't have to worry about him getting jealous.

"Well, excuse me for trying to help with your hygiene," she retorted while rolling her eyes. Her hands moved to her waist as she fiddled with the belt that held all of her Pokéballs. No two were the same, almost like she enjoyed the myriad of dazzling spheres that she adorned herself with. Finally, she unclipped the strap and held the spinning piece of fabric aloft. "I've still gotta feed the gang, so I'm afraid I've gotta kick you out of here as well."

"I wonder if I'll ever get the chance to sleep in your bed," I said, giving her a final squeeze before releasing her. It pained me that we couldn't spend the night together, but I understood that we were two adults who had their own schedule. It was just that hers was busier than mine.

"If you don't mind sharing it with six other Pokémon, then of course you will," she smiled, gesturing to the Pokéballs that she had laid out onto the table. Her bed was so large because she had to accommodate all of her team members, and I would probably end up having to do the same. "Okay, c'mon, it's starting to get dark outside. I don't want you getting mugged while walking back to your place."

"What time do you want me over tomorrow?" I asked while walking towards the lodge's entrance. I cradled Eloise in my arms as her groggy confusion still hadn't worn off, hoping that she would soon flutter up and settle down on top of my head. Wren had probably figured out by now that she was a new addition to my team like he was, and I caught him sneaking glances at her out the corner of his eyes. "Y'know, before the orgy at Katie's apartment."

"Just let yourself in sometime in the early afternoon," She replied, leaning on the doorframe as I stepped out into the mild air. The sweltering sun had almost disappeared from the sky which left the ranch at a pleasant warmth. The sensation of being outside had finally roused Eloise as she perked her head up to look around. "I'll probably still be asleep, so feel free to come in and wake me up. Or find a space in the bed and snuggle in… your choice."

"We'd never make it to Katie's if I picked the second option," I winked, turning back to look at Hannah with a playful grin. The light from inside the lodge illuminated her from behind, casting a large shadow of her figure on the ground. Her pink hair sparkled as her soft lips curved in a sultry smile. She placed her hands on her curvy hips and shook her head slowly at me.

"Save that for when everyone's together," she whispered while fidgeting with the door handle. She waved me off as I began to walk down the winding pathway, and I offered a palm down to Wren if he wanted to grab hold of it. I felt a striking cold snap work it's way up my arm as his claws tried to wrap around my fingers. A comforting warmth soon distracted me from the sobering chill as Eloise nested herself atop my head. I must have looked quite the sight with two Pokémon hanging off of me. "See you later, rockstar."

* * *

The walk back to my house was plagued with an awkward silence that I hadn't anticipated. Wren and Eloise hadn't been formally introduced to each other yet, and while my Swablu knew about the Sneasel's existence, he was likely surprised that I was training another Pokémon. They had no idea what to say each other, so even the talkative flying type was at a loss for words. One was usually hyper while the other was reserved, so of course there would be some difficulty getting them to interact.

After a quick shower, I tip-toed back to my room still wrapped in a warm towel. I felt guilty that I was sneaking all of these Pokémon into the house without my brother's knowledge, but I just knew he would have some choice words for me once he found out. The longer that I could prolong that altercation the better. Opening the door carefully, I noticed that Eloise was nestled into the bed, with Wren sitting not too far away from her. One of her wings was brushing against his side as they sat quietly together.

"So, Alex was the first person that you laid eyes upon when you hatched?" Wren asked warily, and I realised that I must have come back halfway into their conversation. I was glad that I didn't have to push them to talk to each other, but I couldn't help but notice that someone wasn't regarding the other with an equal level of warmth. Wren looked uncomfortable that she was sitting so close to him.

"Yup!" she chirped, causing the ice type to jump back slightly. He acted like he was scared of her, and I couldn't entirely place the reason why. She wasn't exactly intimidating, and her gleaming eyes were so innocent that you couldn't help but feel reassured that she couldn't harm you in any way. "He decided to train me after having a talk with my mother!"

"I see…" Wren fidgeted, like he was struggling to stay focused. His eyes fell to his lap, and I immediately understood what he must have been feeling. Once again, I could almost see myself reflected in the Sneasel and I had a sudden flashback to my school days. He had difficulty talking with people that he couldn't relate to, just like me. He was complex, and she was simple.

"And we've done so many fun things even though we haven't been together for very long!" she laughed, unaware that Wren wasn't taking the same joy in the conversation that she was. Eloise was the type that could get along with anyone, while Wren struggled to hold a conversation with anyone except those he was closest to. "I've been taken on a tour of the ranch, and he let me watch Hannah battle another trainer. We've also tried mating together!"

"Really, all that already?" Wren smiled, but even I could see that it was only one of courtesy. Even though Wren hadn't experienced the world very much, he was still far older than Eloise was. It was like he was talking to a child, and the hesitation in his posture was clear. His eyes turned to me in desperation, searching for assistance.

"And we'll be doing a lot more things together, with Wren included," I stated, letting the towel crumple to the ground as I searched for something clean to wear. Being naked around my Pokémon was something that I barely had to think about anymore, and I never would have expected how casual it was. I wondered if non-poképhiles tried to hide their bodies. "So, I'm sure that you'll become friends pretty quickly."

"Do you have anything that you wanna do?" Eloise squawked, keeping her body tilted towards Wren but her eyes focused on me. It seemed like my undressed state was of interest to her as I hunted for clothes, letting droplets of water from my hair trickle down my back and shoulders. "I want to get good at battling!"

"There are many things that I wish to do," Wren replied, trying to keep his words concise and simple for Eloise's young mind. He too, couldn't help but stare at me and I was quickly realising that dropping the towel so carelessly wasn't the best idea. It was still technically the start of all our relationships, so maybe that sort of thing should only be saved for when we were about to do the deed. "However, I am just happy to accompany Alex on whatever he desires to spend his time on."

"Like mating?" she questioned, my naked form likely having brought the concept to the front of her mind. Wren looked taken aback at the forwardness of her question, and he paused for a moment to try and formulate a reply. I had finally found a clean pair of boxers to throw on, so I covered myself and fell onto the bed next to them with a sigh.

"That is one area of interest, yes," he smiled, likely having realised that it was okay to speak about such things with Eloise. He immediately relaxed even when I just lay down next to him, and I had to keep in mind that he required my presence to feel at peace. I didn't want to coddle him too much, but he functioned better when I was around.

"Speaking of mating, how do you feel about the orgy tomorrow?" I asked, peering up at the ice type's expression. Katie had mentioned that she had explained things to him, but she had never said anything about his reply. He had probably come to an answer after having some time to think about it. His head feather drooped as he looked down at me.

"I would be happy to join you alongside Eloise," he answered, showing his chipped teeth in a lopsided smile. It was nice to hear such a confident reply from him, and it reassured me that he was in the right place. Even if my trainer life had been unorthodox so far, it seemed to be working. "Although, my confidence is such matters is still lacklustre, therefore I will not be participating in anything too… unchaste."

"That's totally fine," I nodded, understanding that he still had boundaries. I was still astounded that he had even allowed me to get that close to him back in the forest, as even though he was shy and introverted, he seemed to have a lustful streak under all of that apprehension. "Just do what you're comfortable with, and if you need anything while we're there, don't be afraid to speak up."

"I can't wait!" Eloise chirped, stating the obvious as she ruffled her cloud-like wings with glee. She had no problems with her self-image like Wren had, and I wondered if letting them get to know each other would balance them both out. The unsure Sneasel in particular could benefit from such a positive influence. "Now that Wren's here, things will start getting really lively."

I could see Wren almost scoff at her statement in disbelief. He was probably thinking that 'lively' was one of the last words you would use to describe him, but he swallowed the compliment and smiled at the innocent Swablu sitting next to him. He would warm up to her with time, and I assumed he would feel awkward no matter who he spoke to. For now, I was just pleased that they had been introduced. I would have no idea what to do if future team members didn't like each other.

"Right, I'm shattered… so we should all probably settle down," I yawned, letting myself slip under the warm duvet. My hair was still wet from the shower, but I really couldn't be bothered trying to dry it. The soft mattress under me was just too lovely to pass up, but I didn't dread when I would have to leave it tomorrow. A subtle excitement flickered within me as I thought about the orgy I was going to partake in. "You wanna get under the covers with me, Wren?"

"Are you s-sure?" he questioned, perched on the end of the bed apprehensively. He looked lonely sitting all the way over there by himself while Eloise had already wriggled her way in between my arms. I felt bad that the thought of sleeping next to me never even crossed his mind, even though he was so attached to me already.

"Of course," I chuckled softly, dimming the lamp next to me until the room was bathed in half-darkness. The ice type's crimson eyes twinkled as they fell upon me, and I could have sworn that he was beginning to tear up. He suppressed a sniffle as he crawled his way across the bed. "You're my Pokémon now, so you get to sleep in my bed with me, right?"

"I suppose so," he muttered, shuffling into the space between where I was lying and the wall. The instant his frigid fur brushed against my skin, I had to hug Eloise tighter just to stop myself from shivering. I hadn't anticipated his temperature when I had made the offer, but I just hoped that our body heat would warm him up a bit.

I pulled him closer to me, still thinking that he was lying too far away. Cuddling with someone made it so much easier to fall asleep, even if it was with a Pokemon who exuded an arctic chill. He paused for a moment before wrapping an arm around me, letting his claws unfurl and lie lazily on the mattress. His body was finally relaxed under my careful grasp, and I felt an intense warmth despite the circumstances. My heart welled as I embraced my two team members.

"Thank you, Alex," Wren whispered. His words were brimming with so much comfort and gratitude that I was too stunned to reply. I just nuzzled my face into his wiry fur while giving him a loving kiss. Eloise gently pecked me with her beak, not wanting to miss out on the affection.

It wasn't long before I drifted off, never loosening my protective grip on the two Pokémon that I considered to be my partners.


	11. Any Time Soon

The next day, we all managed to get up and out of the house without any problems. Since I had showered so late the night before, all I really had to do was put on a clean set of clothes and fix my hair. I had fallen asleep without drying it, so I spent a good few minutes fighting the tangled mess with my brush until it looked presentable. It was still long and unruly, but it was the best it would ever look. It was the first time I had hung out at a friend's place in years, even if it was just a casual orgy, so I made an extra effort to look nice. What kind of person had I become, using 'casual' and 'orgy' in the same sentence?

"Hannah…?" I called while opening the door to the lodge's living room. My two team members tailed behind me, Eloise surprisingly opting to skitter across the ground alongside Wren. She probably didn't want to ruin the hair I had spent so long taming. "You awake yet?"

The living room was dark and lifeless, and I strained to listen for the sound of running water coming from the bathroom. Everything was silent, so I let out a sigh and flicked on the light. I thought she was joking around when she said that I was supposed to wake her up, but there were no signs of activity anywhere. Noon had already come and went, but I couldn't blame her for sleeping in so late. She must have used weekends to catch up on all the sleep she had missed from the week before, since her egg maintenance required her to be up every couple of hours.

Even though we were dating, I still didn't feel comfortable just barging into her bedroom while she was asleep with her Pokémon. I leaned on the wall outside of her door for a few minutes, mulling over whether this was a clever idea or not. Wren and Eloise sensed the atmosphere and kept quiet as I tried to steel my nerves. I wasn't the type to just barge in and rudely wake someone up, but she had requested it earlier. My timid nature almost wouldn't allow it, but I threw caution to the wind and let her bedroom door creak open.

I glanced into the room cautiously, half expecting to see something scandalous. Instead, I saw a massive pile of bodies strewn across the large mattress that took up most of the space in the room. The light from the hallway shone in, but it was still too dark to make out much of anything. The mass of fur and scales rose and fell as they breathed in unison, slumbering peacefully together like they were a big family. Britney's long ears curved across the headboard, and Hannah's bright pink hair peaked out not too far away. Her towering Pangoro acted almost like a second bed as Baxter was propped up against his side, using him as a makeshift pillow. It was really cute the way they all slept together, and I hated to interrupt them all like this.

"Han," a low, monotone voice that I had never heard before echoed out from the darkness. I wildly looked around the shadowy room for the source, eventually finding a pair of glowing, yellow eyes staring at me from under the bed. "We've got a visitor."

The Pokémon pile stirred as a human arm rose its way above them. Hannah was trying to pull herself atop them all, as she was likely being crushed under their weight. I had no idea how she could even sleep amidst them, as the amount of body heat they all created would have been unbearable. She looked at me in bewilderment as her eyes focused on the dim light before she fell back down.

"S'just Alex," she slurred, cuddling into her Lopunny as she closed her eyes again. Only a couple of her other Pokémon awakened as they heard the sound of her voice. The room was further illuminated with a strange light as her Salazzle's lithe body flashed with a fiery energy. Her pink body markings stood stark amongst her black skin as they pulsated, almost like a neon sign you would see in a bustling city. "Be a good boy and say hi for me."

The yellow eyes disappeared for a second as a gecko-like Pokemon crawled its way out from under the huge bed. It looked like there was barely enough space for even Baxter to lie under there, but the Grovyle standing up in front of me somehow managed to sleep in that place. He was small and slender, and when he stepped into the light, I finally remembered that I had seen him once before. Only for a minute, back at my first ever day at the ranch.

"Apollo…" he muttered, and I couldn't be sure whether that was his half-assed attempt at introducing himself or he was just very interested in Roman gods. His slouched, tired posture and slanted eyes reminded me of the disinterested people I saw at high school who would smoke weed in the toilets before going to class. "Sorry, I'm dying for some water."

He slid past me with reptilian agility before I could even register what was happening and was out of my sight. Eloise and Wren looked equally confused as they watched him slink down the hallway to the kitchen, his clawed feet clacking across the floor as he went. The leaf blades adorning his wrists were gleaming as he fanned them out, almost like he was showing off to all of us standing behind him. His soft, fleshy body was shining with health like the rest of Hannah's team. If recalled correctly, Britney referred to him as 'handsome'.

"Ugh, I said say hi, dammit!" Hannah groaned, finally roused now that her odd Grovyle hadn't followed her orders. It seemed like he did everything at his own pace, even going as far as to ignore his own trainer's wishes. He didn't seem spiteful or unruly though, just laid-back enough to completely ignore someone. "Fine, fine… I'll get up."

With significant effort, Hannah sat up, and now that I could see her properly I realised that she wasn't wearing any clothes. It made sense, since sleeping naked was about the only way you could withstand the heat of six other bodies, especially when one of them was a fire type. She stuck out her chest as she stretched and yawned, and I couldn't help but blush at the sight. It was quite a shock to see her like that so casually and I quickly averted my gaze. Sure, we were together now, but I had only seen her naked one other time.

"Any reason why Apollo was under the bed?" I asked, unable to stop my curiosity. More importantly, I wanted a topic to distract myself from the fact that she was unclothed. All of her other Pokémon chose to sleep together, even Oleander, who I didn't see as the type to show affection. The massive bed still seemed to have enough space to accommodate his skinny body, so it had to be some other reason.

"He prefers sleeping on the floor, where it's cooler," she replied, still not awake enough to form proper sentences. She looked over all of her team members with a careful eye to check that they were all okay, and to those still sleeping, she gave them a loving pat on the head. "Always been weird like that."

She had to climb over a snoring Pangoro, but eventually she made it onto the bedroom floor. Her bare toes wriggled into the carpet, and being self-conscious about her nakedness was probably the last thing on her mind. I wouldn't have been surprised if she just walked around the lodge like that most of the time. Against my better judgement, I took a long look up her body until I fell upon her staring eyes.

"Even if it is dark, I can still see where you're looking," she giggled, throwing one of her discarded shirts at me. I couldn't really help the fact that her body looked so damn good, so I just laughed guiltily along with her. Her assets weren't the biggest, but they were the perfect size for her figure. Her hips were actually pretty wide, despite how thin her thighs were. "Not that I mind, obviously, but we're saving all that for later tonight."

"I bet if we were in the opposite situation, you'd be staring at me as well," I reprimanded, leaning against the doorframe and doing my best not to take another look. At this point, Eloise had gotten curious to all the commotion and scampered into the room, stopping in her tracks in amazement to gawk at all the other Pokémon.

"You've got me there," she replied, defeated. Her hands moved to her head as she ruffled her pink hair forcefully, letting it settle naturally. Her pixie cut looked good no matter what state her hair was in, and I found it ironic that she had shorter hair than her boyfriend. It was usually the other way around. "Right, everyone, rise and shine!"

There were various sighs and groans of different intensities as Hannah clapped her hands loudly, making sure that none of her Pokémon were left sleeping. Her Pangoro jolted awake at all the noise, causing Baxter to tumble off of his furry stomach with a yelp. He bounced along the mattress until he was left looking absolutely rattled. Both the giant panda and the tiny chinchilla scowled at their rude awakenings.

"You're gonna keep Alex company while I shower!" she ordered with an outstretched arm, almost like she was commanding them to use a specific attack in battle. Her enthusiasm and intensity for her Pokémon was evident even outside of a fighting situation. "C'mon, I want everyone out into the living room!"

Soon, we were all shuffled out of her messy bedroom until I found myself sitting on the couch surrounded by her team. Seeing them all together like this really put into perspective how skilled of a trainer Hannah must have been. Baxter and Eloise began tussling on the rug, eager to get some battle practice in while they still had the chance. On the other hand, Wren looked a little overwhelmed to be sitting so close to the intimidating Pangoro. I put an arm around him and pulled him closer to me, paying no mind to how cold he was, and reassured him.

"Ssso, you're the one that Hannah won't ssstop going on about," Victoria, the Salazzle, hissed while giving me a predatory glance. Her forked tongue crept out of her jagged maw and flicked in my direction, and I couldn't help but tense up slightly. Britney sat next to her like she wasn't dangerous, but I felt like I was being stared at not as a friend, but food. "It'sss all we've heard from her thessse passst couple daysss."

"Really?" I gulped, struggling for something else to say to the imposing salamander. The way she hung on every 's' sound for a few seconds put me on edge, and she spoke in hushed, almost sultry, whispers. Her pink markings danced with a fervent light, hypnotising me into staring at nobody else but her. "I'm sorry if that's been annoying in any way."

"No, no, it'sss quite alright," she comforted, waving her slender fingers at me to try and calm my unease. I knew that she had the best intentions, but all of her movements were so unsettling. Her thin, almond-shaped eyes closed even further as she smiled. "I know how it can feel to be… infatuated by othersss."

"Cool it a little Vic, you're scaring him shitless," the Pangoro boomed, making me almost jump out of my skin. I wasn't expecting his voice to be that loud and powerful, and his growling was enough to rattle the couch we were sitting on. Why did I have to be sitting next to the massive panda who could probably crush me with one hand?

"And you're not, Chief?" Britney giggled, her piercing laughs not even giving the Pangoro a chance to reply. I hated to admit that she was right, but the gruff fighting type was even more intimidating than the frightening Salazzle. His sheer size was enough to probably deter all that would challenge him, but the Lopunny laughed at him like he was harmless. "You're not, like, exactly that adorable little Pancham anymore, y'know?"

As if to prove a point, Chief offered me a hand that was larger than my entire head. His rough, black paw was opened in a gesture like he wanted to me to shake it. The moment I raised my right arm, he grabbed a hold of it and shook so hard that I felt like he was about to rip it off. He probably had the strength to do that without even trying. His grizzled demeanour belied his willingness to befriend me, and I was surprised that he retained any manners at all.

"Hey there little guy," he said, his daunting glare and bared teeth reminding me that he was also a dark type. He was being nice enough right now, but I knew that the last thing you wanted to do was anger a Pangoro. Their ruthlessness was legendary even over here, where the species wasn't native. "Hannah's said a lot of good things about you, so we shouldn't have any problems, yeah?"

His tone was protective and fatherly, and the way he gripped my hand like he was trying to shatter my bones told me that if I ever hurt her in any way, he would be the first one at my doorstep. He looked grouchy, but he managed to mask that with a booming cheerfulness despite the underlying meaning behind his words. It made wonder what he was like as a Pancham, and if Britney's words were anything to go by, it sounded like his evolution had triggered a drastic change in him. Acquiring the dark typing would probably cause quite a shift in personality.

"You're all acting like Hannah is some naïve teenage girl who can't make decisions for herself," Oleander croaked, watching Baxter and Eloise brawl on the floor with peculiar interest. The room fell silent at his words, and I imagined that the Toxicroak could either be the voice of reason or the source of conflict within the group. "She said earlier to keep him company, not interrogate him about their relationship."

"Well, like, it's hard not to be protective of her," Britney acknowledged, trying to dispel the awkward silence. She had been at Hannah's side the longest, so I could understand the need to ensure that I was actually a good person. If you really wanted to get technical about things, you could say that Britney was her girlfriend, and she was hesitant about that fact changing in any way. "You must know what I mean though Ollie with, like, how much we've been through since we left Sinnoh."

"Hmm, yeah, I understand," he agreed, his toothy grimace lessening to a more wistful expression. The rest of Hannah's team had been formed once she moved away from Hearthome and started to travel the world, but she began her journey with a Buneary and Croagunk by her side. They had all matured together, and it must not have been easy. "Just try to trust her decision is all I'm saying."

It was difficult to focus my attention on the unique group of Pokémon. Even with only four of them engaged in the conversation, they were all so comfortable with each other that they managed to speak amongst themselves without much input from me. Before I started working at the ranch, I had no idea that Pokemon could display such levels of individuality, but now I understood that they were no different than humans. In fact, they could be more friendly and interesting than most other people I had come across. They obviously all cared for each other, despite their differences both physically and emotionally.

"You guys are such a handful," a voice sounded from behind me, and I immediately felt a presence lean on the back of the couch that we were sitting on. I craned my neck to see the verdant leaves of a Grovyle, which was quite a shock since I hadn't even heard Apollo leave the kitchen. His stealth wasn't surprising, since their species were known for deftly creeping across the treetops. "He probably wants nothing to do with us now."

"That's not true in the slightest," I laughed, prompting other smiles to break out across the whole room. Even Baxter and Eloise stopped mid-fight to hear my words, and I noticed that the chinchilla looked a little more battered than the last time they had clashed. Patches of his fur now littered the floor along with Eloise's cloudy feathers, and he was breathing heavily. "If anything, I want to get to know you all even more. You probably have some crazy stories to tell with how much you've all done together."

"We, like, barely survived our vacation in Alola," Britney recalled with a mixture of horror and nostalgic glee, nudging the fiery Salazzle sitting next to her who returned the gesture. Hannah's other Pokémon wore similar expressions, and Oleander was even sent into a fit of laughter, his throat sac bulging like a balloon as he doubled over. "It was so wild that we came back to Hoenn with one more friend than, like, when we left."

"The hangover lasssted for weeksss," Victoria hissed, her slim features tightening in a garish smile. The immediate air around her was tinged with a purple hue as she seemed to taint whatever she was near, clouding the Salazzle in a currently harmless mist. I imagined that along with Oleander's poison, they could create quite a deadly mixture that nothing could ever survive.

"Oh Arceus, don't remind me," Hannah muttered queasily, sounding like even recounting the memories were making her ill. The lodge's soundproofing had to be professionally done as she hadn't even made a noise when exiting the bathroom, but here she was, standing in the hallway clad in the same baby-pink towel I had seen her in a couple days ago. "I wasn't sober for that entire trip, so I barely even remember capturing Victoria."

"Why couldn't have I been born before you went to Alola?" Baxter pouted as Eloise tried to unleash a flurry of pecks in his direction. He deftly stepped out of her range, leaving her to fall flat on her face and skid against the rug. She chirped in frustration, launching herself of the ground with an angry flutter. "All those exotic Pokémon that I missed out on still keep me up at night!"

"Come on, there's too much action for you to handle even here at the ranch," Hannah huffed, shaking her head at the eager Minccino until he stopped looking at her like a spoiled child. Their relationship was definitely strange, but I noticed the sly smile spread across Hannah's face when the normal type turned away from her in defiance. She definitely enjoyed his antics.

* * *

The next few hours passed by with Hannah's team sharing more stories, but now that the woman herself was here, the vivid personalities the Pokémon displayed earlier seemed to die down a bit. The interactions were much more relaxed now that she was sat down with us, and Wren even joined the conversation for a little while before he got too overwhelmed. It felt nice to have a time where there were no obligations, with Hannah having to leave for a quick check-up on the eggs only once for the entire time.

We became increasingly aware of the time once Baxter began tugging on his trainer's sleeves. It seemed like he was looking forward to this orgy far more than anyone and once everyone was back in their Pokéballs – Wren and Eloise excluded – Hannah lead the charge and we made our way to Katie's apartment.

Somewhere in downtown Lilycove that I wasn't familiar with stood a relatively dilapidated set of apartment buildings. They weren't exactly luxurious, but I had heard that rent this far into the town was absolutely ludicrous, so I couldn't really blame Katie for living in such a place. I scoffed at a sign that had 'The Lily's Cove' plastered all over it with proud lettering and walked across the carpark, hand held tightly by Hannah as she had basically pulled me the entire way. It wasn't that I was slow, it was that she walked insanely fast.

We were heading toward the less-grimy looking block of apartments that didn't seem too bad when set in front the backdrop of a starry sky. The days were starting to get shorter as we barrelled into autumn, and this night was especially dark and cold. I couldn't wait to get inside where she, hopefully, had a fireplace or a space heater somewhere. I wasn't going to be sidling up to Victoria for warmth any time soon, that was for sure.

"Katie – stop making out with your boyfriend and buzz us in," Hannah smirked into the tiny, scuffed intercom once she had pressed the button with Katie's name written in what I assumed was her flamboyant handwriting. I noticed big chunky letters with Brandon's name too a few rows down, which I hadn't anticipated. It was a little too convenient that they had both picked 'The Lily's Cove' as a place to live.

"Wait, Katie and Brandon stay in the same apartment block?" I said in a hushed tone, pushing the unlocked door aside with my shoulder as my hands were occupied with a contented Swablu. Wren followed quickly behind, looking fearful of getting shut out and separated from us by the electronic door.

"Yeah, I forgot to say. His apartment is totally shitty compared to Katie's though, so he usually hangs out in theirs until they all go to bed," she explained, hopping up the flight of stairs with surprising agility as she left me to struggle along by myself. "He's talked about moving out to one of the little bungalows on the beachfront, since he's saved up a fuckton of money from work, but none of them have gone up for sale yet."

Under the glow of a flickering hallway light, we came to a stop at a heavy-looking door once we had braved the imposing flights of stairs. Hannah was entirely unfazed, but I had to stop and catch my breath once we reached the correct floor. I would have rather taken the elevator, but she seemed to think that it was some good exercise for me. The door in question was a rusted, red colour with a slot for a nameplate. 'Katie Carlyle and Julian' were written in the same fancy handwriting, and she had even doodled a cute, yellow flower next to it.

Hannah knocked out an interesting tune that seemed far too complex, almost like a secret handshake that you would have to know in order for access into a clubhouse. It wouldn't have surprised me if they really did have a signature knock, just in case they were doing anything dirty out in the open. Answering the door half naked to a stranger was a fear that I was starting to get familiar with, the incident with the pizza girl still fresh in my mind.

Before she could even finish, the door swung open to reveal an exuberant Katie. Her strawberry-blonde hair that was usually trapped in a ponytail had been set free, and it made her look like a completely different person. Light orange wisps of hair spilled down her shoulders, and she was idly playing with a strand of it as she welcomed us into her apartment. Her cherry-red lipstick volumized her lips and made her smile look even wider.

"It's not much but make yourself at home," she grinned, and as I brushed past her, I was immediately hit with the scent of a fruity perfume. It was almost intoxicating and if I didn't have Wren nipping at my heels, I would have been stopped in my tracks by the smell of apples and violets. The jumpers that she usually wore had been discarded in favour of a much skimpier, low-cut shirt that completely highlighted the fact she wasn't wearing a bra.

"I'll never get used to how you look outside of work y'know," Hannah muttered, having thought the exact same thing as me. It was obvious that she didn't want to wear lipstick and do her hair properly if she was doing manual labour at the ranch, but if this was what she looked like for a casual orgy, I could only imagine what she would do for a night out on the town.

" _She doesn't wear more than a few scraps of cloth held together by string,"_ Julian joked, and I could hear his mental projection echo its way through my mind even though he was nowhere to be seen.

As I turned the corner into the living room, I spotted the Gallade lounging on a leather couch with that familiar smarmy smile. I gave him a small wave of the hand as he tipped his drink at me, and although he couldn't do much to accessorise, he too was shining like he had just come from a bubble-bath.

The living room's design was very… atypical. Random pieces of furniture were strewn around the floor with little coordination, and I instantly noticed just how large the place was. The center of the room was filled with empty space that could have put the lodge to shame, except for a few chairs and stools that I couldn't explain the purpose of. Large blinds covered the windows to block the view of any watchful eyes from outside, and a lamp from the corner bathed the room in a warm, fiery glow.

A glass table adorned with sparse ornaments stood shakily on the laminated, wooden flooring. It was about the only decoration in the entire room, with the rest looking like it was needed out of necessity rather than vanity. I could spy some photo frames with pictures of Katie and Julian, with some even featuring Brandon or Hannah. I thought that the tanned worker would have arrived before us, but he was nowhere to be seen even as I scanned the room for a second time.

"Brandon!" Katie called, cupping a hand to her ear and aiming her voice to the door on the far side of the room. Hannah motioned me over to the smaller couch that was facing opposite Julian's as she threw off her shoes with little care to where they landed. "Hurry up doing whatever it is you're doing and get out here!"

"So, welcome to our humble abode," Julian said sarcastically, raising his arms in a royal gesture and almost spilling the rest of his drink. Katie shot the best glare she could muster at the psychic type as she fell down beside him, though the sigh she let out as she looked around told me that she thought the same as him. "I wanted a bachelor pad myself, but she wanted something that wasn't 'embarrassing'."

"He still fucking asks if we can put a pool table in the middle of this room," she groaned, like they had been through the topic a thousand different times. The Gallade just laughed as he placed his glass on the wooden coffee table wedged in-between the two couches. I couldn't ever imagine him playing pool as his psychic powers would probably trivialise the whole thing.

"Still better than living at the lodge," Hannah snickered, petting at Eloise as she had scurried out of my arms and over to hers. I hadn't expected her to warm up to my girlfriend as quickly as she did, just because she was so attached to me, but she was probably going to be like that with everyone. If I trusted someone, she would trust someone. "Sometimes it feels like I'm in The Shining with how often I'm stuck in there."

"You better not go crazy and try to kill me when I stay over," I said, rolling my eyes at the dated movie reference. I noticed the first time I had seen her room that one of her cabinets had quite the collection of DVDs, so I imagined they were what she used to pass the time when she was too tired for much else. Anime was more my area of expertise, but I was glad that she could be just as nerdy about similar things.

"All work and no play does describe you pretty well," Julian commented, ushering a tight-lipped murmur from Hannah. Even though she was devoted to the eggs at the ranch and enjoyed working there, I had to agree with him. I had no idea how she could have such a stressful job and remain to be active and enthusiastic, so she must have felt stifled sometimes.

"Well, she's here to play now," Katie smiled, sensing that Hannah didn't want to be reminded of her duties. Wren looked utterly bewildered about what we were talking about, and it made me wonder about how interested he would be in films and other such things. He seemed intellectually capable enough to understand them. "Let's use tonight not only to welcome Alex officially into our circle, but as a chance for us to unwind, yeah?"

"Speaking of tonight…!" Brandon shouted, bashing open the door with his shoulder not only just to make a dramatic entrance, but because he was carrying a crate of something in his muscled arms. The clinking of glass bottles continued after his words as he stepped over to the table we were all sitting around. "I put these in your fridge a few days ago, and I thought we could use some of them."

"I didn't even notice they were there!" Katie replied incredulously, taking out a mysterious brown bottle from the crate and inspecting it thoroughly. Her lips curled in a mischievous grin as she twirled around the liquid inside. "I thought you said that you couldn't get any more for a while?"

"I asked for an extra batch last time we saw him, and I've been saving it for a special occasion," he smiled gleefully, proud to have made such an impression. I had no idea what they were talking about, but whatever it was, it definitely sounded shady. I couldn't imagine Brandon going to a back alley and asking for some bootleg alcohol, but the bottles were telling me otherwise.

"We better let Alex know what he's getting into," Julian said, either having read my mind and sensed my confusion, or was just letting his responsible side shine through. Everyone's eyes fell upon me, and it suddenly made me remember just how new to this group I really was. I didn't have a good reason to know what they were talking about, but it made me feel pretty uncool. "Or have we not learned our lesson like last time in Alola?"

"Don't," Hannah scowled, with the same queasy look she had shown earlier in the lodge's living room. Whatever this Alola trip they had all taken entailed, she obviously didn't look back on it with fondness. She had mentioned she was hardly sober for it, so was this really some sort of synthesised alcohol?

"This…" Brandon began, taking a bottle in his hand and shaking it at me for added effect. "Is basically ambrosia for poképhiles."

"We've been told that it's a mixture of Blissey egg, alcohol and whatever mixer you want to put in it like lemonade," Katie elaborated, obviously not pleased with Brandon's vague, albeit enthusiastic, explanation. "You've probably heard the stories of how a Blissey will give away one of her unfertilised eggs for people to eat, to calm them down and make them feel happiness, right?"

"Well, when a tiny bit of this egg is added to alcohol, it makes such a potent aphrodisiac that it allows you to have sex about ten times in a row without feeling any fatigue," Julian grinned, adopting a villainous smile that only grew in intensity when he was offered a bottle of the stuff. The Alola vacation was starting to make a lot more sense now that I had context.

"He's definitely over-exaggerating a bit, but you only need to take a couple sips before you'll start to feel in the mood," Hannah smiled, giving me that sultry, lopsided grin that could have done the job all on its own. This drink was starting to sound just like an overblown fantasy, but they were all giving me serious looks. "You know how you were saying how tired you were getting just from a couple days of fucking?"

"Yeah, like how I could sleep nonstop for a week," I recalled, suddenly remembering that feeling all too well. I had sufficiently recharged since then, but going through the afterglow of sex again and again had taken its toll on me. My stamina was nowhere near that of the others, and I doubted that some miracle concoction could ever change that.

"This drink will not only restore your energy and make you less sleepy, but temporarily raise your desire for sex to such a level that you won't be satisfied just cumming once," Brandon said, and it was one of the rare occasions that I had heard him being so vulgar. Dirty words just didn't sound right coming from his warm, kind smile. "It has a more potent effect on guys, so it means we don't have to wait a while before we're able to go at it again."

"Who the hell discovered that this sort of thing exists?" I asked, barely able to follow what they were saying. Aphrodisiacs definitely existed, but this was going far beyond that in ways that should have been impossible. Then again, a Blissey egg did contribute to the drink's effect, and they were known for doing miraculous things.

"Nobody knows it's true creator, and for that reason it goes by many names," Julian began, his words layered in a grand tone like he was talking about some mythical potion brewed by a wizard. He was being so absurd that I couldn't help but snicker, and he seemed to be enjoying the attention. "The guy that supplies it to Brandon liked that he calls it ambrosia, so most people around these parts have started to name it that as well."

"I think it was popularised by the poképhile community in rural Sinnoh, mostly around the redneck farms and ranches in Solaceon," Hannah added, scratching her chin like she was deep in thought. I had no idea how long she had been away from her home region for, but it probably took a lot of effort for her to remember things about it. "I remember hearing about it back when it was really new, but it's all over the place nowadays. Ronan, the shady guy who sells it to us, is from Sinnoh originally as well."

"Better save it for when we get into the actual thick of things," Brandon thought aloud, collecting the bottles that he had passed out and sheathing them into the crate once again. He was handling them like they were volatile and could explode at any moment, and now that I heard an explanation, I didn't dare doubt their potency. Regular hangovers were awful enough without all the bells and whistles.

"Right!" Katie clapped her hands, reminding me of the way Hannah would enthusiastically keep the group moving forward. It seemed that when the strawberry-blond trainer wasn't present, my girlfriend would try and fill her role. "I know this isn't exactly glamorous, but we need to sort out how we're gonna go about this whole thing."

* * *

The next couple of hours were spent getting comfortable over a bunch of unhealthy takeout food while discussing the plans for tonight. It was nice to hang out with everyone in a casual setting where people were more relaxed, and many laughs were shared over mouthfuls of our meal. It was odd that we were discussing the technicalities of the orgy like it was a challenge that we would have to work together to overcome, but I understood that even casual flings like this had to have a semblance of order.

Now that we had shifted into dusk and the artificial glow of streetlamps peaked through the curtains, things had started to take a turn that I had come to expect from my lustful co-workers. Katie couldn't help but basically lie across her Gallade's lap, letting her fingers slowly dance and twirl their way across his thighs like she was trying her utmost to tease him. Brandon kept fidgeting with the Pokéballs on his waist, eager to unleash his energetic electric types into the room to make the place spring to life. The tension in the air was palpable.

"Oh, somebody just fuck someone else already," Hannah pleaded, unable to bear everyone's wariness about the situation. She clicked open the spheres on her belt with quick succession, sending everyone reeling as the bright lights assaulted our senses. Her team materialised with confused glances and stares, barely taking up any space in the massive living room. "I'm not gonna be the one who starts this whole thing off on my own again."

Before I knew it, everything devolved into chaos at the behest of my girlfriend's words. She smirked proudly as various articles of clothing were thrown in our direction, and I could only watch in amazement with how effectively her words had spurred the two others sitting across from us. Brandon added to the Pokémon pile in the center of the room as he pulled off his shirt, and Katie was already lip locked with her Gallade, their hands exploring every inch of each other. Hannah tossed a bottle of ambrosia at my hands with reckless abandon, letting me fumble with the cool glass which had nearly just been smashed against the hardwood floor.

"Drink up," She commanded, unfastening the button on her tight-fitting jeans with ease which lead me to believe it had been loosed with years of abuse. I popped the cap open, letting the bottle hiss at me as the fizz threatened to overflow and soak the couch we were sitting on. "You'll need it to handle the both of us."

Not wanting to miss out on any of the action, I barely heeded their earlier warnings as I brought the bottle to my eager lips. A sweet, nectary liquid coated my tongue as I took a hearty swig – a little more than I was previously told to take otherwise. It had the consistency and sugary taste of honey, the substance barely able to crawl its way to my throat before I took a laboured swallow. I watched through slanted eyes as everyone did the same, Julian and Katie sharing a bottle between them both.

I only had enough time to set the unmarked bottle back down on the table before I felt the effects hit me like a runaway train. My surroundings twisted and warped as every colour in the room seemed to get brighter, Hannah's baby-pink hair turning the same colour as her Salazzle's neon markings. An indescribable tingle oozed its way down my throat and spread to my various limbs, making it feel like my blood had gotten thicker and was struggling to flow through my veins. When everything began to normalise again, I felt the overwhelming urge to just pin down the next person I saw until I was satisfied. Desire shot down to my waist, encompassing me in a delirious haze. I barely noticed that an excited, naughty grin had spread across my face.

I had also failed to notice that my jeans were starting to be pulled off, by none other than my girlfriend and her gorgeous Lopunny. Everything else faded away in the background, Eloise and the others becoming little more than obscured blurs as my attention had been grasped by the two girls and their lusty eyes. Britney's pink nose wiggled curiously as she found her way to my boxers, her furry hands tickling my inner thighs as she searched around for my arousal. Hannah tossed my jeans somewhere far behind her and whispered about how I wouldn't be needing them for the rest of the night. It took all my focus just to comprehend her words.

Usually, I would have been intimidated at being handled by an experienced Pokémon, but the ambrosia had hijacked my reasoning and only made me lust after release. The normal type pulled my boxers down eagerly, giggling as my aching hard cock bounced to attention. Even the cool air in the room brushing against my bare skin was enough to send a surge of pleasure through my body, so when Britney wrapped a supple, smooth hand around me, I bucked my hips impulsively and felt close to already blowing my load. She raised one fluffy eyebrow at me, her light clutch teasing at my wanting state. I felt heavy, barely able to do much else but moan as her fingertips skilfully worked their way down my shaft.

Hannah flashed me a sultry smile while leaning forwards, pausing to watch the anticipation spread across my face as her flushed, hot breath set my skin aflame. She took a slow, careful lick along my length, savouring the taste on her tongue as she let it curl back into her mouth. I shivered at the sensation, causing the two girls to smirk at each like they had just been struck with an amazing idea at the same time. I was completely at their mercy, the ambrosia paralysing me with a hedonistic thrill.

My girlfriend and her Lopunny gave each other a sloppy kiss over my cock, Britney sucking on my head playfully as Hannah's tongue explored not only the sultry bunny's maw, but every inch of me as well. The normal type's rough tongue flicked at my cock-slit greedily as she tried to taste my precum, her wanting eyes only losing focus on mine whenever Hannah's tongue would meet hers. My fingers dug into the sides of the couch as their combined skill was working me into a frenzy. I felt Hannah's breath creep lower and lower, leaving Britney to toy with me as she pleased.

Hannah's lips pursed as she suckled softly on my balls, trying to coax me closer and closer to the beginnings of a climax. Her sure, careful arms were pushing my legs apart as she swirled the tip of her tongue across my sack. I raised my hands and ran them through her short pink hair, guiding her down and holding her in place forcefully. The drink was bringing out a dominant side to me, which delighted the girls to no end. She backed off with a grin, biting playfully on a part of her lip as she ran her hands down Britney's voluptuous ears.

This spurred the bunny to finally sink her head down, her pink nose wiggling against my waist as her mouth opened for me. Hannah left my side as Britney bobbed her head, coating my dick in a thick mixture of both their saliva. She knelt down behind her starter's wiggling rump, playing with her pom-pom tail lovingly as Britney spread her legs. The pink hair disappeared, and I would have given anything in the world to see what was going on down there.

My attention quickly returned to the Lopunny as she let out a muffled moan, her eyes now wrenched shut in pleasure as she shivered against her trainer's tongue. She raised her ass high into the air with her powerful, long legs. Everyone else in the room momentarily stopped whatever debauchery they were committing to marvel at Britney presenting herself, Katie giving me a thumbs-up before sinking back down on her Zangoose's thick member. The room was still hazy with the effects of the ambrosia, but I could have sworn Baxter and Eloise were a lot closer together than before.

Britney's movements were becoming less controlled as she slobbered against my cock, barely able to stop herself from crying out. Her frantic lip-service was enough for me to lose composure, as even the mere idea of her gagging against me while her trainer went down on her was about the hottest thing I had ever experienced. My hands held tight onto her long ears like makeshift reigns as I threw the last of my hesitance out the window. I had no idea whether it was the ambrosia reaching the peak of its effect or just my own inner feelings, but I wanted to make this Lopunny choke on my cock.

Her eyes went wide as I pulled her ears down, her cream-coloured arms flailing wildly as she was brought out of her stupor. She became acutely aware of just what I was doing, the sides of her lips curling upwards as she tried her best to smile passionately. The tip of my dick slid down her throat causing her to cough and splutter, spit sliding down the sides of my cock and pooling on my crotch. The gagging action of her narrow throat massaged against my head while her tongue flailed against the underside of my shaft.

Hannah spanked her ass, no doubt hearing the panicked sounds coming from her starter. She yelped with pleasure, shaking her butt as if to ask for another one while she deepthroated me. I had never met a Pokemon who was able to take this much punishment, and it seemed like Britney completely revelled in it. Her nymphomaniac tendencies would have been worrying to me, if I hadn't been completely overtaken by primal urges.

A shudder completely blindsided me as my cock twitched with a frantic impatience I had never experienced. Usually, there was a build-up and I knew exactly when it was about to happen, but this ambrosia had to be doing something to me. I lurched forwards, trapping Britney's head in-between my thighs as every muscle in my body clenched like I was being electrocuted. I unloaded inside her unexpecting mouth, completely oblivious to the cries of protest coming from the poor bunny under my weight. As soon as I was aware of myself again, I pulled out.

She coughed, letting strands of cum dribble down her front as I shot the rest across her chocolate-coloured face. She lay there, barely able to hold herself up as she was glazed with my thick, white semen. Amidst her pained gasping were what sounded like laughs, as she brought a fluffy paw up to wipe at her mouth. Her shivering had ceased, and I noticed Hannah's face peaking out from her partner's backside, her lips and chin covered in fluids.

"At least, like, give me a warning next time, or something… yeah?" she panted with a pout, looking utterly displeased as her pristine coat had been sullied by my fluids. My head was still light and hazy not only from an orgasm, but the ambrosia's wondrous effects. The warmth that I experienced was incredible, so I felt no ounce of concern for the Lopunny lying in front of me and only offered her a dumb smile.

"It looks like this stuff is revealing quite the cruel streak in our sweet little Alex," Hannah giggled, getting off her knees and taking a sip of the drink in question herself. There were bottles lying all around the room and I had no idea who they each belonged to, though I doubted she cared as she picked up the one nearest her. "I knew it was hidden in there somewhere."

"You'll, like, get used to how weird it feels pretty quick with how often we drink it," Britney comforted while doing her best to clean off her thick fur. Her features were blurred and unfocused, almost like I was watching her through a foggy window. I probably looked stupid with how little I was moving, but the only thing I could care about right now was who I was going to pleasure next. "How is it, like, making you feel?"

"Feels like I could take on everyone at the ranch and still be fine," I laughed, marvelling at the lack of fatigue that I was feeling. This ambrosia entirely removed the need for the sluggish afterglow of sex, like some sort of sugar-filled energy drink specifically made for sex addicts. "S'that a good sign?"

"Definitely," Hannah replied, peering around the room as if looking for her next partner. I could still barely see a few feet in front of the couch, but those that were close to me seemed to be enjoying themselves. Wren had left my side sometime during my session with Hannah and Britney, and I just hoped he had either found someone or at least quiet place where he wouldn't feel too overwhelmed. "Now that we've had our fun with you, it should really be someone else's turn."

"I don't think I can get up and walk around just yet, so you'll have to bring them to me," I chuckled, trying to raise one of my legs to prove my point. Ignoring the earlier advice and taking a big swig from the bottle was coming back to bite me, and I just prayed that the hangover wasn't going to be too horrendous. I barely had time to think about that though, as a renewed surge of desire rushed its way through my veins. At least one part of me was able to still move.

"The first sip is always the hardest," Hannah sighed, looking at me with a hint of pity in her eyes. Even though she had drunk the same amount as me, she still looked level-headed and conscious enough to make proper decisions. She had probably built up a resistance to the Blissey egg over years of use. "Just sit here and try to chill out for a second, I'll send someone over soon."

* * *

As I sat there alone, boxers still pulled down to my thin ankles, the upbeat living room slowly started to come into focus once again as my inexperienced body acclimated to the ambrosia. Everywhere that I looked, humans and Pokemon were locked together in various kinky positions, their lustful moans creating a wonderful symphony of sin. Katie, with beads of sweat dripping down her curvy figure, had satisfied her intimidating Zangoose, who was sprawled happily on the floor like a Skitty that got the cream. The fur on his scarred waist was matted and sticky as his trainer continued to straddle him, planting loving kisses on his chest. Brandon had bent his tiny Emolga over the armrest of the farthest couch, his tanned back muscles twisting and contorting beautifully as he slammed into the squealing electric squirrel. The ranch worker's thick-framed glasses had fogged up, but that didn't deter him from reaching a steady hand down to pleasure his small partner. What a lucky Pokémon.

With their ravenous trainers preoccupied, many other Pokémon sought pleasure in each other. Indra growled possessively as he mounted a panting Victoria like she was a common bitch. Frantic sparks danced across her black, leathery skin as her serrated jaw unhinged in bliss, serpentine tongue slithering against her steaming, busty chest. The markings on her underbelly rhythmically flashed a bright, hot pink with every powerful thrust. Indra was also glowing with volatile, electrical energy that created a scarily fascinating lightshow. Victoria's spindly limbs convulsed uncontrollably as she received countless paralysing shocks.

To my initial surprise, not too far away from the sparking couple, Baxter's tiny, fluffy hips were feverishly pumping away at a cloudy mass I instantly recognised as Eloise. Her shrill, avian squawks pierced through every single noise in the room as the perverted Minccino grabbed her by the wings and ravaged her with all the might he could muster. The cute tuft of hair on his head and his gigantic ears were wobbling amidst his determined expression. His cock couldn't have been more than a couple inches in length, but he sure knew how to use it. The little guy was certainly giving it his all to pleasure my partner, so I couldn't complain.

While I had been fully distracted by the two young, novice Pokémon, a captivating presence had somehow managed to creep up beside me on the lonely couch. Turning away from the debauchery for the moment, I was immediately greeted by a pair of ocean-blue, sparkling eyes that almost didn't look real. Those sickeningly adorable features could only have belonged to Katie's dangerous Sylveon, Maxxie. His flowing, silky ribbons were already caressing my bare skin, and his kinky, fanged smirk instantly told me what he wanted. I could barely remember Julian's past warnings about Maxxie's Cute Charm ability due to the miraculous ambrosia, but I knew that he could beguile anyone with just a meaningful look. Hannah must have sent him here on purpose. I already couldn't tear my eyes way from him.

"Hey there, hot stuff," Maxxie sang, acutely aware of the effect he was having. "A birdie with pink feathers and tattoos told me that you're looking for some fun with little ol' me."

"That birdie sure does know how to pick 'em," I sighed dreamily, watching with supernatural fascination as Maxxie fluttered his eyelashes and licked at one of his front paws suggestively. The combination of the ambrosia and Cute Charm was making my head spin, and intrusive thoughts about forcing this bratty Sylveon to mewl under my body caused me to shudder. "Just what kind of fun are we talking about here?"

"Well, actions speak louder than words, handsome," Maxxie taunted, his smooth ribbons creeping closer towards my thighs with every saccharine word. "Why don't you show me?"

His alluring question sent me far over the edge of sanity. Feeling like I had just been possessed by some kind of depraved demon, an uncontrollable urge to dominate anything in sight pulled me onto unsteady feet. I almost collapsed onto the cluttered table due to my weak, wobbling knees. I took hold Maxxie by his paper-thin, flowing ribbons for support and twirled them around until our warm bodies were touching, entwined by the swirling appendages. Grinning happily, Maxxie explored every inch of my body with the incredibly soft feelers, their velvety touch teasing me until my throbbing shaft was unbearably sensitive.

Bored of his excruciatingly slow and gentle foreplay, I impatiently flipped the surprised Sylveon around in my skinny arms and dropped him roughly back onto the couch. He giggled softly as he bounced on the springy surface, shaking his round backside cheekily with a wink. I wanted to find a way to wipe that pleased smirk off of his face, so I seized him by his delicate tail and lifted it forcefully, exposing his tight hole which caused him to yelp in shock. His pink asshole was still unsullied despite the events of tonight, and I was unreasonably pleased to have gotten to it first. It looked absolutely perfect. I couldn't wait to ruin it.

He raised his snowy-white haunches even further, fully presenting to me with practiced confidence. His ample, furry balls were actually quite large for a Pokémon his size, and as I gave them an assertive rub, his distinctively feline cock began to rise out from the sea of fur. Even though I was eager to plunge myself deep into his tight tailhole, it was my first time seeing the underside of an Eeveelution, so I couldn't help but stop to admire it. Even under the effects of the ambrosia and Maxxie's Cute Charm, my curiosity for anatomy didn't die. The tension was making the experienced Sylveon squirm under my intense, inquisitive gaze.

"I feel like I'm being examined for a contest here," Maxxie blurted out, his bratty, trickster façade faltering somewhat as his bottom lip quivered nervously. "You almost done, nosy?"

"Not yet," I grinned mischievously. "Being thorough is a part of my job."

In one swift motion, I coated two of my long fingers in saliva that smelled like alcohol and jammed them far into the Sylveon's ass until my knuckles were tickling at his pristine coat. Immediately, he tightened around in the intruding presence and almost leapt a foot in the air. He stifled a yelp which trailed off into a long, high-pitched whine as my deft fingers explored his warm, twitching hole. With every aroused breath, he would clench and release my hand. The very tips of my fingers managed to caress a new, rougher surface that I anticipated would get a wonderful reaction, and sure enough, his bright-red, feline dick twitched and dribbled a bead of translucent pre-cum onto the dark leather couch as I massaged his sensitive prostate. Watching him pant in shame, I spat on my other hand and rubbed my stiff member slowly.

"Tell me what you want, Maxxie," I commanded, revelling in the level of total control that I had over the whining Sylveon. Hannah was definitely right about my hidden dominant streak.

"I want you…." he pleaded, looking back at me with glittering, yearning eyes. "Alex…"

"Not good enough," I responded harshly, pausing momentarily in my massage to deny him any sort of stimulation whatsoever. I felt his entire lithe body tense fearfully in anticipation. Those many weeks that I would spend watching terribly-acted porn videos when I was younger were finally starting to be useful. "I need specifics, Maxxie."

"Your cock!" he cried loudly, causing the entire room to fall into an astounded silence. Every single member of the orgy stopped their grinding and moaning to look over at the Sylveon. Toying with a Pokémon who got pleasure in bewitching others was so satisfying. "Please!"

"Good boy," I replied, strongly patting him on the ass with a sticky hand as I removed my fingers without any warning. The fairy type collapsed onto the couch with a mumbled mewl.

Although I had been acting very cool-headed and indifferent, that couldn't have been further from the truth. This whole time, I had barely been able to hold myself back ever since I lifted up his elaborate tail and laid eyes upon his flawless, heart-shaped butt. I decided to finally let the kinky demon inside me take over as I positioned the head of my lengthy dick in such a way that it was poking softly against his fleshy, lubricated entrance. Despite his experience, Maxxie couldn't help but tighten reflexively as I pushed the first inch of my shaft inside him. It was my first time penetrating someone anally, and it was heavenly. I groaned noisily and swore under my inebriated breath as the warm, squeezing pressure almost pushed me out.

Even though Maxxie looked and acted like a slut, he had somehow managed to maintain a tight hole that could have fooled me into believing he was a virgin. The Sylveon shivered euphorically as he sank backwards on my hard shaft until I was pressed right to the hilt. Even with all the activity around us, we both stood extremely still, basking only in the heat of each other's bodies and nothing else. I could almost sense the sweet fairy type's intense heartbeat. I was so enthralled with pleasure that I barely felt his white, lustrous ribbons tangle their way around my motionless waist, locking me firmly in place with surprising strength. My ambrosia-addled mind made every pleasant caress feel like a merciless whip crack that set my skin aflame. Enraptured, I gripped the closest ribbon and twisted it between my trembling fingers like a leash, causing Maxxie to curve his flexible spine and cry out uncontrollably.

Like an obedient pet, he slackened the soft ribbons until I had enough room to start thrusting. Each primal push forward made the Sylveon stifle a girlish squeal with his front paws as I rammed his lightweight body into the springy couch, which repeatedly crashed into the wall it was propped against. He tried his best to steady himself after every thrust, but it wasn't long until he was lying spread-eagled on a pile of pillows, his legs splayed out awkwardly. Neither of us cared about how much noise we were making. In fact, I hoped that everyone in the whole apartment block could hear me dominate this Sylveon like my life depended on it. Watching in satisfaction as Maxxie reached for a cushion to muffle his loud moaning, I gave the poor fairy-type a few seconds to compose himself as I played with his pink, fluffy ears.

In the fleeting moment of flushed respite, I suddenly felt a warm, unknown sensation press curiously against my backside. It was oddly gentle and weightless, like someone had started to tickle my ass with a large, elaborate feather. Craning my neck to get a better look, I finally noticed that the longest pair of Maxxie's prehensible ribbons had snuck away from hugging my slender waist and decided to explore an area that was a little more private. More urgently however, was Brandon's excitable Blitzle staring at the fuzzy feelers that were attempting to spread my cheeks for him. His damp, bulbous muzzle indicated it wasn't the first hole he had been curious enough to inspect tonight. The electric zebra whinnied as if to ask permission.

"Go for it, buddy," I allowed, glancing over to an occupied Brandon. "Knock yourself out."

Before I had even finished my wry comment, Dominic charged eagerly towards me and buried his snout deep in my derriere like some kind of equine torpedo. The edges of Maxxie's ribbons stretched my backdoor to allow the Blitzle entry. The rough sensation of his textured nose almost made my knees buckle as a shower of joyful, electrical sparks travelled swiftly down my legs and dissipated across the floor. The zebra sighed a blast of hot air against my sweaty, bare skin as he wallowed in my scent, his white, stubby tail illuminating happily. Honestly, it was quite flattering to watch someone get so excited about a place most others would actively avoid. Appreciation quickly shifted into uncontrollable arousal as the dirty Blitzle's thick, electrifying tongue began lapping in concentrated bursts against my asshole.

The clumsy oral stimulation had almost made me forget that I was still balls-deep in a Sylveon. Leaving Dominic to neigh and snort in delight, I began to pound Maxxie with renewed energy. My bare toes curled into the floor as I groaned, the combined efforts of the two quadrupeds causing my mind to go blank. Overstimulated, I soon doubled over and held onto Maxxie's thin waist for support. Leaning weakly onto him gave Dominic the opportunity to penetrate me with his impressively long tongue. I could barely continue thrusting my hips as I reached the beginnings of orgasm, nibbling one of Maxie's long, fluffy ears to silence my thrilled cries. His supple ribbons were handling most of my movement.

With one final, powerful jab at his prostate, Maxxie yowled and painted one of the couch cushions in a thick layer of sticky, white fluid. Feeling him shiver and instinctively buck his shapely hips under me was just too much to handle. Once again, the ambrosia-induced orgasm almost knocked me unconscious as a volcanic warmth exploded from within me. Every single inch of me electrified as if Dominic had hit me with a Thunderbolt. I thrashed against an unresponsive Maxxie as his ribbons fell limp, spraying my seed deep inside him until my dick slipped out of his ass, the rest spurting against his appropriately-coloured coat.

In fact, my orgasm was so incredibly potent that I lost the rest of my balance and tumbled numbly to the floor. Narrowly missing the hardwood table by an inch, I pulled a relaxed Maxxie down with me by his remaining ribbons. Dominic skittered away with a startled whinny as we landed in a crumpled heap, further entangled together by the Sylveon's feelers, lying in a pool of our own cooling fluids. Instead of quickly getting up, I couldn't help but laugh like a madman as the concerned faces of my naked co-workers popped into my view. Ambrosia was absolutely incredible. I came so hard it literally knocked me off my feet.

I could easily see myself getting addicted to the stuff. Already, I was craving another bottle. This insane night was just getting started, and I knew I wouldn't be stopping any time soon.


	12. Eyes of a Wren

Wren sighed dejectedly.

It had been a couple hours since all of the humans had fallen into a deep, unconscious state, ghosts of contented smiles still faintly present on their impassive visages. Some still clutched at the peculiar, sweet-smelling glass containers which Wren did not wish to imbibe in for fear of losing control over himself. It was as if the four humans still desired to continue with their debaucherous revelry even in slumber. Their paltry stamina had pulled them unwillingly into the dark, unforgiving realm of rest far before any of them had intended to finish their encounters, but inappropriately, he was still awake. Sleep frightened him. Try as he might to reassure himself, sleep reminded him of being trapped in that unnerving, digital sphere. The two were not dissimilar, both endless voids from which conscious escape of was not possible. Inevitability had always perplexed him to no end.

And so, there he was – crouched over his oblivious trainer's limp body like an ornamental gargoyle, watching quietly as the human's bare, slender chest undulated with every shallow, instinctive breath. They appeared so fragile while incognisant. With one deft swipe of his frigid claws, he could snuff out a human life like effortlessly blowing out a candle-flame. Grimacing, he shook his head and scolded himself silently. If he was ever going to live a normal existence, he would have to stop thinking in such a deplorable manner. He was safe. Morbidity was not a useful asset to him anymore. His days in the wild were over forever.

"He looks really cute when he's asleep, doesn't he?" a sonorous, innocent voice whispered from somewhere inside the obscuring shadows, swiftly snapping him from a morose stupor.

Eloise. Wren assumed that the young Swablu had fallen asleep before most other denizens, due to her delicate stature and immature, hyperactive temperament. Such a small creature needed sufficient rest for healthy growth. She was still a mere hatchling, after all – not old enough to stay awake near the imminent sunrise. Had he been a braver specimen, he would have told the prodding avian to leave him alone with his intrusive thoughts, but she was his comrade now. They were bound together in the resilient twine that was the undying love of their slumbering trainer. That was perhaps the only aspect they would ever wholly share. While he attempted to think of a suitable reply to the whelp, the Swablu pulled over a mound of comfortable fabric towards him with her beak. Wren believed they were called 'pillows'.

"I suppose so, yes," he replied curtly, brushing aside a lengthy, stray hair from Alex's vacant face with a careful, freezing claw. He couldn't begin to explain his dear trainer's need to maintain such an unusual, bothersome hairstyle. He let himself smile softly in the darkness. Amusingly, that had been one of the questions constantly plaguing his rapid mind as of late.

"Did you have fun tonight, Wren?" Eloise asked excitedly, seemingly unable to stay on a single topic for more than a few seconds. To others, her curiosity was likely endearing.

"As much merriment as one like myself could have in this circumstance," he responded, noticing that his cumulous comrade's beak twisted in confusion at his odd pattern of speech. "I had quite an enjoyable, intelligent discussion with a veteran member of Hannah's team – Oleander the Toxicroak. He's very intriguing, albeit with a somewhat unsettling mindset."

"I… don't really understand what you mean, but I'm glad that you made a new friend!" the Swablu chirped simply after a prolonged pause. It bothered Wren that he had to handicap his archaic vocabulary when conversing with the hatchling, since selecting the most elaborate words and phrases helped to ease his mind when facing foreign, adverse social situations. Perhaps it was for the best that she could not comprehend all of his words for the time being. She would learn them soon enough. He was playing an accidental role in her education.

"Although, I cannot help feeling like an outsider in a place such as this," Wren exhaled laboriously, deciding to confide in the boisterous creature. Her innocent, humble mind could assist in soothing his unstable nerves. Sometimes, a simple approach was refreshing. "Witnessing so many sexual acts in such a casual manner was startling, to say the least."

"Well, haven't you already experimented a little with Alex?" Eloise questioned, her melodious tone growing more subdued as she bounced closer to his hunched, glacial form. Her woollen feathers caressed his dense, wiry coat compassionately as she nested amongst the fibres of the white, tattered pillow by his side. It was comforting. "How is this different?"

"Alex is… special," Wren stated, failing outright to find an appropriate word that encapsulated his complex feelings. At least Eloise would understand him. "Presently, I have minimal desire to seek pleasure elsewhere, especially with those I am unacquainted with."

"So, you only want to mate with your friends?" Eloise clarified, impressively managing to understand his hushed words without fail. Perhaps he should begin giving her more acclaim. "I don't think that's weird, Wren. I want to share fun, special things with my friends too!"

"Affirmative," he blushed, wondering if the compact, blue avian considered him to be an ally. "In all honesty, I was rather disappointed that Alex and I could not consummate our love this evening, although, upon analysis, that may have been for the best. I did not wish to indulge Alex when his mind was addled by that strange substance all the humans were imbibing in."

"You're a strange Pokémon," Eloise warbled softly, wrapping a gentle wing around his waist and patting gently at his quivering back. Surprisingly, he did not feel himself tense or flinch.

"Of that I am aware," the Sneasel responded with a subtle, embarrassed smirk. The warmth emanating from her cloudy pinions started to melt the translucent ice coating his bitter fleece.

"Strange… but really cute," she quipped, caressing him in an uncharacteristic, sultry fashion that was eliciting warmth in an entirely different manner. Erotic images began to evade Wren's hurried mind, overloading his senses and causing him to finally shudder under her touch. Her compliment made him turn scarlet. "Tell me Wren, am I one of your friends?"

"Truthfully, I have no experience with these types of relationships, but since we are both under Alex's care… that is to say, sharing a common environment…" Wren flustered, overwhelmed by the sudden rush of pervasive thoughts assaulting his weak, fragile psyche. He avoided the curious gaze of the temptress, choosing to stare at his unconscious trainer. "Would, in fact, make us acquaintances, yes? I am not sure. It is a troubling conclusion."

"Just relax," Eloise comforted, preening his moistened coat with her white, powerful beak. "Your body is telling me all that I need to know. It happened with Alex and Baxter too."

Bewildered, Wren peered down at himself only to be met with the tapered head of his small erection poking out from a dense, murky sea of fur. The fleshy, red member was clearly visible even in the gloomy darkness. His crimson eyes widened as he shielded the manifestation of his lust from the young Eloise's view, cursing eloquently under his panicked breath. He had managed to maintain his dignified composure throughout the entire evening, even amidst all of the arousing, debaucherous sights and sounds. And yet, he had fallen at the final, simplest hurdle. Boreal claws sent a chill down his spine as he grasped at his surging member, turning away from the curious Swablu, even though he wished to stay motionless.

"Since we're friends, do you want me to take care of that for you?" Eloise asked innocently, flapping her velvety wings until the two were face-to-face once more. "I feel bad that you went the full night without mating with anyone. Friends should help each other, right?"

Yes. No. Two concise options appeared before Wren out of the obscuring twilight. Despite his hesitance, he could never fully resist the devilish desire welling up inside of him, but was this truly what the rational side of him wanted? He stared at the unjudging eyes of Eloise in suffocating silence as his throat seized, heartbeat loud as a drum in his sensitive ears. Suddenly, past advice from Alex during their encounter in the forest joined the two warring options and provided some much-needed clarity, as if his trainer was awake and speaking them aloud. Wren allowed these memories to resound through his skull, placating his anxiety.

" **There couldn't be a safer environment for you to figure yourself out."**  
 **"You don't have to be so self-conscious anymore."**  
 **"Those urges have become part of why I like you so much."**

"Yes," Wren finally chose, willingly exposing himself after a composed, wavering exhale. Eloise's avian eyes swiftly fell upon his rigid, surging member. "I suppose you are correct."

"Good, I knew you'd agree with me!" Eloise chirped ecstatically, causing a few humans and Pokemon to shift and murmur in their inebriated slumber. She beckoned him towards the comfortable pillow and flashed a warm, loving smile. As best she could with a rigid beak. "Now come over here and let your new friend warm you up a little…"

True to her titillating words, the moment Wren had settled himself upon the white cushion, her flocculent wings had already enveloped his body in a tight, heavenly hug as she pushed her rotund form against his narrow chest. Writhing uncontrollably between his knees, the puffy lips of her entrance stroked his glacial shaft and teased it to full girth. Gazing upwards with infatuated ardour, she opened her beak and gasped breathily. His frosted skin must have been a new source of stimulation for his immature friend. Likewise, her gentle warmth had already submerged him into a placid pool of pleasure, even without the imminent penetration.

"You're so cold…" she moaned, her shrill voice muffled by his coarse hair. "It's like ice…"

Wren was receiving so much stimulation that he couldn't even begin to formulate a reply. Even something as simple as her hot breath sent scintillating tremors through his muscles, melting away his frigid exterior and making him feel weightless, swimming in the very air. Abruptly, the feeling magnified tenfold as the entirety of his penis slipped inside Eloise's entrance as if it had a mind of its own. The Sneasel felt lightheaded as the Swablu's sharp talons scratched against his thighs. She gyrated against his burning crotch as her cloudy wings massaged his back with their instinctive flapping. Her soft labia squeezed the base of his small shaft as the pointed head pressed forcefully against her pulsating, pillowy walls.

Overtaken by a primal, animalistic urge that reminded Wren of his time spent roaming the lawless wilds, he thrusted against the Swablu's feathered backside and grasped at her tail. Usually, his mind would be overflowing with thoughts and questions, but during this very moment, it was completely silent. All he could focus upon was the sick, hedonistic pleasure. Eloise clamped her beak closed to stifle her avian squawks, ripping out small patches of fur from his chest with each subsequent thrust. The pain only brought Wren more satisfaction and spurred him to buck his hips with even more intensity, until the two Pokémon were bouncing together in unison. Due to his regular, sub-zero body temperature, his appendages often felt numb and stiff, but now that they had been roused by Eloise's wings and insides, they were searing with life. His erection, most of all, felt like a rod of pure, otherworldly heat.

The dim, drowsing room was overtaken with muffled slaps and wet squelches, and the strong scent of sweat and Eloise's sweet juices flooded into Wren's delicate nostrils, lulling him into a foolish daze. Absentmindedly, his eyes wandered to his own trainer lying only a few feet away, oblivious to the sinful act that was being committed right under his nose. If only Alex opened his charming eyes, he would be greeted with the sight of Wren's manhood plunging inside his starter's pussy, with the music that was both of their pleasured groans, with the arousing smell of both their fluids seeping slowly into the white, sodden pillow below them. Surely, he would join the two of them if he were conscious. Maybe Alex would penetrate the Swablu's other, twitching hole, and Wren would be granted the honour of watching-

While engrossed in his fevered fantasising, he hadn't noticed that Eloise's movements had grown more frantic before it was too late. His rhythmic thrusting was interrupted by the delirious Swablu and her incoherent moans. Her inner walls clamped down on their invader like a powerful vice and pulsated with such intensity that it milked the orgasm out of him without warning. Watching as Eloise dribbled a trail of milky saliva across the dull, amber gem on his chest, his drooping, sweaty scrotum swelled and sent semen erupting from the slit atop his shaft. He pulled Eloise closer in a smothering embrace and held her forcefully down until he had deposited all of his thick seed deep within her core, body seizing in place.

They lay entwined until Wren's member retracted and fell soft once more, lost under his fur. The majority of his virile semen had leaked out onto his heaving belly and the nesting pillow, hardening into a clumped stain. Eloise nuzzled into his torso like the hatchling she was, surprisingly attempting to preen his stained coat with her keen beak, still drenched in spittle. Even though her stretched vulva was still steadily dripping onto the ruined, odorous cushion, she was doing her utmost to clean him off. He watched in fascination while basking in the serene afterglow, the familiar chill of his polar blood soon replacing the comforting warmth.

"Feeling better?" Eloise asked, after she had apparently satisfied her avian urge of grooming.

"Remarkably so," Wren whispered, the words coming to him instantly. "I hope that the experience was also enjoyable for you, as well. I have never felt warmth like that in my life."

"Yeah, it was fun!" the Swablu giggled, batting him happily with a weightless wing. "Although, for me, it was more like riding an icicle!"

"You have my thanks, Eloise," the Sneasel said after a relaxed chuckle. Humour had always been somewhat lost on him due to his prolonged solitude, but he understood that to be a joke. "You must have certainly noticed that I have a bothersome tendency to get mired in my own negative thoughts, but you have provided a rare moment of solace and pleasure for me."

"Well, we're friends and teammates now, so we have to do our best to help each other out!" Eloise responded, her jovial tone keeping Wren in high spirits. "If you ever wanna mate with me again, all you gotta do is ask nicely. Fun stuff is always way better when its shared!"

"Indeed," he yawned, fierce fangs glinting in the faint sunlight that had started to filter through the windows. "Though, I think it would be prudent for us to get some rest before everyone awakens. May we stay on this 'pillow'? The comfort it provides is astounding."

"Of course!" she chirped in response, cuddling deeply into the stained fabric and splaying her cosy, cumulous wings across his lithe body like a divine blanket. "Nighty night, Wren."

"Pleasant dreams, Eloise."


	13. Pallas Athene

"Oh, fuck me…" I groaned, lurching violently back into terrible consciousness with a pounding headache and a weak, grumbling stomach. I hadn't even opened my sore, heavy eyes yet and I already wanted to find the nearest toilet and throw up the remains of the takeout food and ambrosia still sloshing around inside me. I found myself lying totally naked on the floor, draped haphazardly in what looked to be the flowery curtains that had been removed from one of the windows. My throbbing face was painfully pressed against the cold, laminated flooring as I lay deathly still. Hazy memories from last night made me sigh loudly.

"You should've asked for that a few hours ago," a croaky, tired voice responded from beside me. It took me far longer than necessary to figure out it belonged to Hannah. I felt her skinny, warm arms wrap their way around me as she snuggled cosily against my bare waist. Her dainty feet collided with a stack of ambrosia bottles that fiercely clattered to the floor, but she didn't even seem to acknowledge them. "I'm sure Katie's hiding away a twelve-inch strap-on somewhere in this apartment, and I would've been more than happy to oblige."

"Very funny," I yawned, finally biting the bullet and raising my dizzy head to look around at the sweltering, messy living room. It was almost unrecognisable. Even though my surroundings were spinning wildly and making me feel even queasier, things actually looked peaceful despite the sinful events that occurred last night. Various groups of Pokémon all slept in random piles next to each other, with Wren and Eloise snoozing adorably together in a small, makeshift pillow fort built by my side. It was incredibly heart-warming to see the two of them embracing each other so lovingly. Maxxie was not too far away from them. Reaching down to ruffle Hannah's short hair, I noticed that my hands were strangely sticky.

"Who said I was joking?" she asked while propping herself up, blinking awake in confusion as she brushed the sleep out of her eyes with a childish pout. Even like this, she had a natural beauty that made me feel like the luckiest man in the world. The way her messy, pink hair stuck out in all directions gave her a youthful innocence despite her age, not to mention the flawless complexion of her pale, tattooed skin. Blue eyes fell upon me as she smiled groggily.

"Last night was fun enough already," I grimaced, lazily flopping back down onto the carpet, the rest of my strength completely melting away as I curled up lovingly around my girlfriend. "It makes me feel a little better about this disgusting hangover and foggy memory at least."

"I was totally unresponsive and could barely remember my own name after I drank it for the first time, so you're going pretty good," she praised, stretching up to pat me on the head like I was a child who had just completed one of their chores. It was definitely comforting, but I wasn't about to admit to her that I liked getting my hair played with. "I have some ibuprofen in my purse if you want it – for the headache. Can't do anything about the memory, though."

"But then you'd have to get up…" I whined, peering over at her hot-pink handbag that had been discarded on the other side of the living room, near an unconscious Oleander. I wanted something to help with the crushing pressure in my head but having someone next to me that I could cuddle into was a much better cure than drugs could ever be. "Can we just stay like this for a little while longer?"

"Well, aren't you needy today?" She cooed in an overly-cutesy tone but did as I requested and snuggled her head into the nape of my neck. It was these sorts of moments that I wouldn't trade for anything else in the world, and even though my distinct lack of memory was particularly frightening, I couldn't help but smile from ear-to-ear as Hannah gave my shoulder a series of sloppy, affectionate smooches. "I'm just glad you're not some total edgelord who hates being cuddled."

"Arceus, you two are sickening," Julian gagged as he strolled out of the kitchen, closing the door carefully behind him as to not make too much noise. I could hear the sizzling of food in a saucepan, and the snarky psychic type held a greasy spatula in one of his hands. He was also unabashedly wearing a chef's apron with the words _'kiss the cook'_ written across the front in pink, cursive font. It was probably Katie's, but he didn't seem to mind. "Lying there naked as the day you were born while we all tirelessly slave away in the kitchen for you."

"Bite me, Jules!" Hannah hissed, throwing a large, semen-stained cushion vaguely in his direction. He recoiled and almost sliced the soiled fabric in half with one of his elbow-blades, but decided it was better to let the cushion collide with his toned body than risk Katie's immense wrath if he destroyed it. "Alex needs to nurse his killer hangover in peace."

"Call me that again and I'll stop your heart," the Gallade threatened morbidly. "I'm serious."

Hannah stuck out her dry tongue in foolish defiance as Julian only sighed and rolled his eyes. His unwavering focus turned to her purse lying across the destroyed living room. He pointed the black, greasy spatula towards the satchel like a magic wand. The miniature bag began to levitate precariously, the contents almost spilling out across the messy floor while Julian skilfully manoeuvred it closer with his psychic abilities. We both watched on in bewilderment as the purse hovered closer before dropping neatly on the mess of blankets, clothes and Pokémon we had passed out amongst. It was like a scene from Harry Potter.

"I'm making breakfast for you guys, so when you feel ready to move, put some fuckin' clothes on and come join Katie and Brandon," he stated, turning his back with another wave of the plastic spatula. He didn't look the type, but he could be oddly caring when the situation called for it. Even in my tired state, I could tell that he was blushing and had turned away to hide his embarrassment, wishing to keep up the appearance of a warrior rather than a maid. "Eggs and bacon will help the hangover more than tonguing each other ever will."

"Why thank you, my humble servant," Hannah joked, to which Julian replied with a respectful, royal flourish before returning to the kitchen. I caught the sight of a tired looking Brandon and Katie leaning against each other at the table before the door swung shut again. The two really did act like old friends, even though it had probably been only a few years since they had all first met each other. I had never seen such a comfortable group before.

"Let's give it ten minutes before we try to find our clothes?" I asked with a cheeky smile, even though I had already made up my mind. Breakfast was beginning to sound a lot more appealing now that the morning dizziness had been quelled somewhat, but even bacon and eggs cooked by a world-renowned chef couldn't tear me from the cosy mess on the floor.

"I was hoping you'd say that," Hannah purred, rolling on top of me clumsily as her chipped fingernails dug into my chest. Before I knew it, our hands were running through each other's hair and the sounds of our lips smacking together drowned out the crackling of the saucepan. The pills and food weren't going anywhere, so a little snuggle time wasn't hurting anyone.

* * *

After fooling around for a while, we excavated ourselves from the makeshift bedding and collected articles of our clothing that were randomly scattered around the room. Careful not to disturb any of the slumbering Pokémon, I stood on my tip-toes and faintly grasped at my wrinkled shirt that had somehow gotten stuck on the lampshade. Hannah was kneeling on all-fours, attempting to fish out a pair of jeans from under the couch, giving me quite the view. In my hungover state, I wondered how girls could stand wearing such tight, skimpy thongs. The thin fabric barely even covered up her unmentionables. Not that I was complaining…

Eventually, we completed our outfits and shuffled quietly into the bustling kitchen together. True to his word, Julian was whistling away at the stove while he poked at the bacon and eggs with the spatula. He was surprisingly jovial and animated when cooking, which was a far cry from his usual stiff and serious demeanour. With a flick of his green finger, he levitated a salt-shaker over the frying pan and shook it vigorously until he was satisfied.

Katie and Brandon, on the other hand, were slumped lifelessly over the kitchen table, too exhausted to even lift their dishevelled heads. The former's makeup was smudged, making her look like the Joker, and one strap of her revealing dress was hanging loosely off of her shoulder as she fidgeted with the cutlery absentmindedly. The latter was still shirtless, clutching a Pikachu plushie tightly against his hairy chest, his face deathly pale as he didn't even stir at our presence. It seemed as if the two had also overindulged in the Blissey egg concoction even though they had harped on about only taking a couple sips. I couldn't help but smile smugly and chuckle, because at least I wasn't alone in feeling like total garbage.

"I'm so thankful that the ambrosia barely has an after-effect on us Pokémon!" Julian laughed, taunting his trainer as he dangerously swirled the food around in the saucepan, nearly sending boiling oil cascading onto the tiled floor. He was positively glowing under the fluorescent light of the kitchen, while the rest of us looked like we hadn't slept for weeks. "We could drink bottle after bottle and still be bright and happy the next morning."

"I'm getting closer to releasing you into the wild with every passing day," Katie groaned, too hungover to smile sweetly at her boyfriend's antics. It was obvious that she didn't really mean it, but her scathing tone told me that she wouldn't easily forgive him if he kept up with the incessant mocking. "You do this every time and it hasn't once ever been _remotely_ funny."

"At least he's making us breakfast," Brandon finally stirred, pulling out two chairs with ease for the both of to sit on. His grey, baggy sweatpants had been put on backwards, but he either didn't notice or care in the slightest. He gave us a laboured yawn in place of his usual warm greeting before slumping back over the rickety table with a weak sniffle, hugging his plushie.

"Yeah, only 'cuz I forced him to," Katie replied, joining the muscled ranch worker as she pressed her face against the cold surface of the table. Even though they had the willpower to wake up earlier than us, it seemed like they wanted to go back to the living room and sleep just as badly. I assumed that they had been through this process so many times that they knew how to endure it. "He usually only makes food for himself while we're still unconscious."

"That's a strange way of saying thank you," Julian teased amidst a flurry of bacon strips levitating above his armoured head, enveloped in a mystical, purple aura. He carried a precarious stack of white plates over to the table like a practiced waiter and served up the steaming food in a flash with his psychic powers. The bacon and eggs smelled delectable, Brandon and Katie actually perking up at the comforting scent associated with lazy mornings. "Now hurry up and eat before it gets cold. It pains me to see my good friends in such a state."

"Bullshit," Hannah mumbled through a big mouthful of bacon. "You love to see us suffer."

"Man, it's been years since I've had a proper, homecooked breakfast…" I sighed dreamily, picking at the fluffy scrambled eggs with a shaky fork. Childhood memories started to flood back in droves as I stared longingly at the steaming food. "Forgot how much I missed bacon."

"Years?" Katie parroted, her fingers interlocking with Julian's in gratitude as the psychic-type took the final seat at the crowded table, chucking his dirtied apron into the overflowing sink with a flick of his free wrist. "Thomas told us earlier that you still live with your folks at home, but are they not around much? If you don't mind me asking, of course. Just curious!"

"Well, my mum's been working overseas in Unova since I was about twelve," I replied over the sharp scraping of cutlery, finding it an appropriate time to tell the welcoming group some more details about my dull personal life. We were becoming fast friends, but they still knew next to nothing about me. "She manages some hipster tech business in Castelia City and divorced my hopeless dad when I was still just a toddler. Lawrence, my older brother, has been taking care of me for most of my life. Even back when we were both just little kids."

"Sounds pretty tough," Brandon consoled quietly in a deep, understanding murmur. Placing the Pikachu plushie gingerly next to his untouched plate, he affixed its raggedy ears until they were in the proper position. He seemed to handle the children's toy with a great amount of love and care, almost as if it were alive. "What kind of work does your brother do, then?"

"He just works a shitty retail job at Lilycove Department Store," I laughed, watching the sympathetic winces spreading across the kitchen table. "He hates it, but it pays the bills."

"I've heard the hours there are hellish," Hannah groaned, already having devoured most of her food in the matter of a few seconds while we were talking. I stared at her near-empty plate in disbelief as she showered the rest of her eggs in salt. "But hey, at least you don't really have to worry about him barging into your room while you're banging Eloise or Wren. How does Lawrence feel about you suddenly becoming a trainer? Must've been a shock."

"Uh… well, he doesn't really know about it yet…" I admitted guiltily, hiding my red face in the plate of greasy food so I wouldn't have to look at their disapproving expressions. "Even though we live together, we don't talk often. Mostly, he just drinks alone in his bedroom."

"That's definitely a juicy accident waiting to happen," Julian grinned, not even attempting to hide his excitement. He waved a messy fork tipped with crispy bacon and ketchup in my direction like a judge's gavel. I gulped audibly. "Better break the news sooner than later."

"Obviously, make sure to leave all the poképhilia stuff out of the explanation as well, unless you're positive that he won't try to report you for abuse," Hannah recommended seriously. She could actually be quite intimidating when she had a strong opinion about something. "Attraction towards Pokémon tends to run in families, but you can never be sure nowadays."

"Really, it does?" I reeled in disgust, almost dropping my own fork. It wasn't exactly an image that I wanted inside my head the morning after an intense, alcohol-fuelled orgy.

"It's more common than you'd first think anyway," Brandon interjected with a bashful smile and a glint of reminiscence in his wide, light-brown eyes. "Funnily enough, I was introduced to poképhilia when I walked in on my dad and his Luxio in the middle of the night. I'm still trying to repress the conversation that followed all these years later. It keeps me up at night."

"To be honest, I think Lawrence finds Pokémon to be more of a nuisance than anything else, just like my mum. He complains about trainers who bring their team members in the store all the time, and I guarantee that he won't approve of me becoming one," I responded spitefully, dreading the intense conversation that would inevitably happen between us. Even though we were brothers, we rarely agreed with each other. "So, that's why I've been putting it off."

"Alex, you're a big boy now, so you don't really need to give a shit about what he thinks," Julian encouraged with a chiding tone, though it was clear he could sense my apprehension. Reassurance was apparently not the Gallade's strong suit. "Tell you what, if worst comes to worst and Lawrence blows a gasket, we'll all come to back you up. Isn't that right, gang?"

"Damn right we will!" Hannah promised loudly, secretively playing footsie with me under the kitchen table. The feeling of her soft socks caressing my bare skin made my mind wander. She definitely knew how to poke at my weaknesses. "Five against one sounds fair to me."

"You say that like we're gonna beat him up or something," Brandon chuckled passively, some colour returning to his pallid face as he finally started eating with vigour. "I'm sure that Lawrence will accept your choice once he sees all of the wonderful friends you've made."

"Yeah, that's true," I conceded after taking a faint sip of cold water, my throat still parched from the crazy night before. "He's never been the type of person that tries to control my life."

"Good, there's no reason to worry then!" Katie smiled inspiringly, placing her knife and fork neatly onto her plate that had been scraped clean. She brushed a strand of strawberry-blonde hair out of her blue eyes and gazed over at me. I couldn't help but feel at peace amidst her comforting positivity, as if being part of this supportive friend group made me indestructible. "Now, I don't wanna see a single scrap of food left on that plate of yours, Alex. You need to grow up nice and strong like Brandon if you're gonna keep working at the ranch!"

"Are you trying to fill the role of my absent mum?" I sighed dramatically, reminding myself that I was still the youngest and least experienced out of the workers. Everyone else had to be in their mid-twenties, but then there I was, still lacking confidence and struggling to grow any facial hair. No matter how much I wanted to ignore the age difference, it was inescapable.

"Oh please, I like my men to be slim and cute," Hannah grinned, producing a lollipop from the breast-pocket of her pink shirt. She unwrapped it in a flash and placed it onto her tongue. "No offense, Brandon. Muscles aren't my thing, and you're absolutely bursting with them."

"None taken," the gentle giant responded with a respectful smile, pushing his empty plate towards an upright Julian who began to clean up the messy table. It might have just been my tired, hungover mind playing tricks on me, but I could've sworn that the muscled ranch worker snuck a lustful glance in my direction. "In fact, I would tend to agree with you…"

"Right, enough chit-chat!" Katie called, rising up to join Julian at the overflowing sink, no doubt sensing the strange, erotic atmosphere that suddenly crept into the room. Brandon's tanned complexion darkened as he placed a large hand against his mouth, hiding his flustered arousal, despite the fact he was already shirtless. His hesitant temperament belied his stature. "This might be our day off, but that doesn't mean we can sit around on our asses 'till sunset!"

"There's her iconic enthusiasm…" Hannah huffed, crunching down on the hardened candy as her fingers ran across my bouncing thigh. "C'mon soldier, let's retreat into the living room."

Rudely leaving Katie and Julian to take care of the dirty dishes, we emerged back out into the destroyed living room with full bellies and contended smiles. The Gallade's impressive cooking was already working wonders for my hangover and general mood. Inevitably, the irresistible scent of seared meat had roused some of the more sensitive Pokémon from their shaky slumber. Brandon scratched at his Blitzle's striped neck with affection, who then began to illuminate and spark excitedly. His powerful hooves pounded against the linoleum floor as he bucked his hindquarters like a racehorse, causing everyone else to whine and writhe. Britney unleashed a slew of creative swears in her iconic, shrill tone and clutched at her delicate ears, pulling them over her displeasured face as she attempted to drown out the noise.

"I'm flattered that you're happy to see me Dom, but try to calm down a little, okay?" Brandon soothed in his idyllic, cheerful tone, still blushing at the Lopunny's embittered words that would have put a Slateport sailor to shame. "We've already received two noise complaints this month, and I really don't want you to be the reason for our third strike!"

"I can't help it – I feel like I'm overflowing with energy!" Dominic replied enthusiastically, his throaty voice far deeper and more confident than I had first expected. He came across as shy and skittish but was managing to rival Brandon's positivity. I wondered if the personality of the trainer rubbed off on their Pokémon over time. "I think I'm really close to evolving!"

"Evolving?" I blurted out, unable to contain my piqued curiosity. I had always dreamed of seeing an evolution up close, instead of on a screen or in a book. Apparently, it was wondrous to watch, often reducing trainers to overjoyed tears. "Are you sure? How can you even tell?"

"It's never really been described officially, but most Pokémon get a strange, fuzzy feeling when they're close to evolving," Hannah informed, flopping leisurely onto the couch beside Britney and cuddling into her soft, velvety coat. The sultry bunny stopped her swearing and complaining soon after, accepting her partner with warmth. "Do you remember yours, Brit?"

"Well, like… yeah, only 'cuz you cried like a baby after it happened," Britney replied with a giggle, gently kneading her fluffy paws across her closed eyes like Hannah had done earlier. It was a cute habit that they both shared. "For me, there was like, this tickly feeling in my head for like, a week before I eventually evolved. Dom's like, going through the same thing."

"I thought that most evolutions needed to be triggered by something specific, like through battling or by using a stone," I pondered, envisioning my old, boring high-school textbooks. Usually, I viewed myself as an expert on such things, but that was evidently not the case now. "Honestly, Brandon doesn't seem like the battling type, so what's causing such a change?"

"Experience!" Brandon simply beamed, as if his bright smile alone was a satisfactory answer. "All that most Pokémon require in order to evolve are positive experiences in certain aspects of daily life. Combat training happens to be most common and effective method nowadays, but there's plenty of other unique styles! Any rigorous, physical activity works just as well!"

"You probably won't believe this, but Katie once told me that Julian first evolved into a Kirlia by learning how to cook properly," Hannah smirked, gesturing into the silent kitchen. "Once he became a good chef, it wasn't long before he evolved while making a nice soufflé."

"Yup, and next thing you'll tell me is that constant sex can make a Pokémon evolve as well," I murmured quietly in disbelief, rolling my deep, muddy-brown eyes like a sarcastic jackass.

"If experience is the only requirement for their evolution then yeah, sure!" Brandon replied, completely serious, although the sides of his thin lips were raised in his ever-present smile. "That's how I've decided to train Dom, so he's living proof that sex is as good as battling!"

"You've gotta be fucking with me, right?" I asked, ignoring the responses as my attention focused solely upon a tiny Eloise who was still sleeping calmly atop a white cushion. Her cloudy wings were no longer wrapped around Wren, instead left covering her sensitive ears. If things continued as they were, then she would eventually evolve into a massive Altaria.

"Wish we were," Hannah winked cheekily. "It's common for professional battlers to be poképhiles too, since a night spent with a Pokémon does basically the same as a few battles."

"Possible family members, battlers…" I listed with a groan. "What's next? Gym Leaders?"

"Oh, my dear, sheltered Alex," Hannah laughed heartily. "You still have so much to learn."

"Dom, be sure to tell me if that feeling gets stronger!" Brandon reminded, patting the electric zebra firmly on the haunches and bopping him on the nose. "Gotta catch the evo' on video!"

"Roger that," Dominic whinnied. "Indra told me to expect it within the next week too!"

"Won't be long 'till we have a big, sexy stallion in our ranks," Hannah grinned suggestively. "Not gonna lie Dom, I've been waiting for your evolution ever since I first laid eyes on you. Everybody knows that Zebstrikas are packin' some major heat down there. Enough to kill!"

"Aww c'mon… your unreasonable excitement scared him off," Brandon sighed, watching dejectedly as Dominic trotted over to join the unconscious Emolga tucked away in the corner, who had somehow managed to sleep through the whole noisy ordeal. He was probably exhausted from the ravishing Brandon had given him last night. The two electric types looked to be inseparable, almost like brothers. "You can barely handle him like he is now anyway."

"Excuse me, I've improved a lot ever since Chief evolved!" Hannah huffed, taking extreme offense to the off-handed comment. Her immaculate, round face turned a heavy crimson and she crossed her tattooed, slender arms defiantly over her chest. "Just you wait, four eyes!"

"I didn't know you were such a size queen," I smirked smarmily, leaning precariously against the peeling armrest of the leather couch. With all the Pokémon, the place was really cramped. "Feeling outclassed all of a sudden. Stuff like that really hurts a man's pride, y'know."

"Listen, just be glad I'm flexible and easy to please," Hannah snapped back, stunning me into awkward silence. Despite seeming totally carefree when we first met at the ranch's lodge, she seemed prone to short flashes of anger, likely due to the great amount of stress she endured. Sensing my anxiety, she let out a long exhale and let the smirk return to her full, red lips. "Okay, hurry up and get your cute butt over here. If we all pretend that we fell back asleep then we won't have to tidy up this fucking mess. It usually fools Julian about half the time."

"Now you're speaking my language," I crooned, slipping into the tight, warm space on the couch between two beautiful girls and feeling my relationship worries melt away like butter. Laying off the jokes for just now was probably a good idea. Hannah was tough. It'd be okay.

And to be honest, I just wanted to shut up and get sandwiched between a pair of curves.

* * *

By the time that the apartment had been cleansed of tell-tale, crusty stains and empty bottles, the blazing sun had leisurely trailed its way across a majority of the sky and was basking the immaculate room in a soft, golden glow. Who knew that tidying an entire living space while caring for like fifteen Pokémon all at once took more than a couple hours? Once Julian had easily discovered that we were faking our slumber, he forced us to scrub the jizz-laden floor. It wasn't exactly my ideal way of spending a lazy Saturday afternoon, but the company made it more than bearable. Time flew by as we chatted and laughed until our throats were hoarse. The whole event made me forget that we were technically still guests in a home, and we had definitely overstayed our welcome. Katie and Julian had lives. We couldn't hang out forever.

Hannah eventually had to drag me all the way down the stairs of the apartment block, as I could barely move my stiff legs. A combination of wanton thrusting and kneeling down had completely fucked the delicate muscles. With Eloise and Wren safely in tow, we embarked on the short adventure back to the lodge, carrying our generous parting gifts. While on our way out of the heavy door, Brandon had tossed a couple bottles of ice-cold ambrosia at us with an eager smile. The heavenly fluid was definitely a useful substance to keep around. There had to be a hundred laws prohibiting the clear possession of alcohol in broad daylight, especially bootleg ambrosia from some shady farm in rural Sinnoh, but we didn't care at all. Hannah even started loudly chanting "fuck the police" as we made our way across Route 121. Eloise began to echo the simple words with joyous vigour, much to my great embarrassment.

The crude chorus continued all the way up the ranch's winding pathways and rolling hills. Obviously, we caught quite the number of surprised stares from the breeding Pokémon that we passed, including a particularly indignant Snivy who haughtily stuck her snout in the air. She looked like royalty, glaring at a group of peasants who had disturbed her beauty sleep. Such a refined aura reminded me of Evienne, despite their obvious physical differences. Wren sighed and covered his grimacing face with icy claws, no doubt hating the attention. Suddenly, Hannah started to falter behind the little group, face scrunched adorably in an intense concentration as she pondered something important. We had just been holding hands, but I soon lost tentative grip on her smooth, limp fingers and they floated away gently.

"Feel free to take the squad to the lodge and let yourself in, rockstar," she announced, as she confidently turned her back to me. "I know it's supposed to be my day off work, but I should swing by the incubation shed just in case something happened."

"No worries," I replied casually, replacing Hannah's warm hand with Wren's freezing one as I watched her slowly descend down the steep, grassy slope towards the ramshackle building. "Who knows, it might give me enough time to get naked before you come back…"

"Sorry, it'll be showers first!" she called with a laugh, barely audible over the animalistic din of the active ranch. "Not horny enough yet to enjoy tasting day-old Maxxie on your cock."

"Fair enough," I admitted with an impish grin, watching as the spiked quiff of her pink hair faded entirely from my view. Some of the ranch denizens followed behind at a wary distance, since it was getting close to feeding time. If Hannah was unlucky, she'd be ambushed at the shed by a stealthy Lucario and a particularly greedy-looking Flareon. Although, something told me that she wouldn't exactly mind being propositioned by the two boys. Just a hunch.

"Bye-bye, Hannah!" Eloise chirped atop my head, battering my ears with her cottony wings.

"At least that licentious tune has ceased," Wren commented, undertones of restrained venom seeping through his complex words. The Sneasel probably wouldn't ever lose his precise bite.

"Buddy, I don't know what the hell that word means – and I paid attention in English class," I smirked while tussling his dull head feather. Thankfully, the poison in his tone had been neutralised as he chuckled with me, eyes closed. "Where'd you even learn stuff like that?"

"Another story for another time, perhaps," he responded with a forlorn, solemn smile. Through time, I had learned that expression meant that I shouldn't push until he was ready. "For the record, the word licentious refers to ill-mannered and unprincipled actions when concerning vulgar matters, not unlike that display of contempt towards law enforcement."

"Huh, you really do learn something new every day," I mused, kicking my muddy boots against the steps leading to the lodge's entrance. Hannah would probably castrate me if I tracked even a single speck of dirt on the rugs. "You're like my own little talking dictionary."

"A role that I am eternally grateful to play," Wren bowed, his eyes twinkling with admiration.

When the three of us finally reached the lodge's wooden door, I quickly discovered that it had somehow been left unlocked, judging by the slackened brass handle. I clicked my tongue in bewilderment as I shoved my keys back into my pocket. Hannah had definitely locked the door behind her when we left yesterday, and the only other person who could've possibly opened it was Thomas. He usually stayed around the reception building, but had he come to inspect the lodge and just forgotten to lock the front door afterwards? That was pretty risky, considering that one of the ranch Pokémon could just sneak in and ransack the kitchen fridge. Thomas doesn't exactly seem like the careless type, either. Unease settled in my gut as I wrenched the handle down and warily pushed the door open. Maybe I was just being too cautious for no reason. Luckily, Eloise and Wren hadn't figured out that I was really nervous.

The fluorescent lights were bright and shining in the empty room. A kitschy mug filled with cold coffee had been discarded on the oaken table, with only a few small sips taken out of it. If the ranch had somehow been invaded by an opportunistic burglar, he didn't stay for long. Nothing of value had been taken or moved. Brandon's sturdy watch lay on the mantlepiece. Any slim chance that I had of remaining undetected was suddenly shattered as Eloise flew around the familiar room and began squawking excitedly. I would've normally been ecstatic to see that she was able to stay airborne for such a long time, but I was plagued with the irrational worry that the potential serial killer knew our location. The small Swablu settled happily on one of the dusty rafters near the ceiling, preening her cloudy feathers pridefully.

Then I remembered, the lodge was soundproof. Nobody would be able to hear her anyway. But, that also meant I wouldn't be able to hear someone sneaking up on me. Oh, fuck…

"Wow, she's flying already!" a confident, male voice boomed from close behind my head, causing me to let out a frightened yelp. I whirled around so swiftly that the badly-decorated living room began to wildly spin like my hangover had just returned with a fierce vengeance.

Slick, black hair. Green eyes. Immaculate trousers. Polished, designer shoes. Shit-eating grin.

"Thomas, for the holy Arceus' sake…" I gasped weakly, heart thundering against my ribcage. It was so distracting that I barely noticed he was shirtless. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Sorry, sorry, I couldn't resist…" he snickered mischievously, holding up both of his callused hands inoffensively as he backed away from me. "Crazy, isn't it? Someone could be getting murdered in the next room over and you'd have absolutely no clue. Cost me a small fortune."

"It certainly makes it easier to be discreet about the whole poképhilia thing," I breathed, clutching at my palpitating chest and leaning on the nearby armchair for sweet support. "More importantly, what's with the bare chest? Your fancy suits starting to get too stuffy?"

"Hardly," he boasted, rolling his verdant eyes. "I pay extra for long-lasting comfort."

"So, what?" I prodded, starting to notice that my boss was covered in a damp sheen of sweat. Beads of perspiration clung to his big, defined pectorals and hair was matted to his forehead. The ankles of his suit trousers had been tucked into his shoes, like he had dressed in a hurry.

"Well, let's just say that this wonderful lodge is the only place with warm beds for miles," alluded the suave tycoon with a secretive grin. Even a man of his venerable status was still weak to the carnal desires that clung to his lesser employees. "Ophelia has been getting far more adventurous in the bedroom, so I decided to indulge her before getting back to work."

"Ophelia?" I repeated, confused at the fancy name. "Must be one of your Pokémon, right?"

"Right on the money," Thomas revealed. "In fact, she's creeping up behind you right now."

Thinking that the self-assured businessman was making another joke at my expense, I turned around with less urgency, expecting only to find Eloise, Wren and some empty couches. Instead, a white figure slowly materialised into my shocked view and the room suddenly grew much colder. My Sneasel's sensitive ears twitched in alarm, but it was obvious he was not the one responsible for this deathly, arctic chill. The unknown Pokémon was still cloaked in a misty haze, but I could discern the faint outline of a traditional, flowing dress. I blinked in disbelief, my short eyelashes almost freezing together before I could open my eyes again.

There floated a tall, feminine Pokémon, as if she had been there for the whole conversation. Her ghostly, purple visage was partially concealed by a snowy-white layer of fragile skin, obscuring her bewildering eyes of pure amber and periwinkle. Her delicate body mimicked an elaborate kimono, tied at the waist with a tattered, blood-red ribbon. Glittering crystals of pure ice adorned the robe of the levitating Pokémon, which slowly began to melt and send droplets of fresh water onto the lodge's rug as she lifted an embroidered hand to her chin. Wren looked totally enthralled by the frigid ghost. Eloise didn't even really seem to notice.

"To die, to sleep – to sleep, perchance to dream – ay, there's the rub, for in this sleep of death what dreams may come…" the Froslass sang cryptically, every word sending a horrible shiver trickling down my spine. Her mysterious voice was as haunting as it was entirely beautiful, echoing through my head in a similar manner to Julian's telepathic communication. "When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, must give us pause…"

"Unbelievable…" Wren whispered, so quiet that I couldn't be sure anything was said at all. "What a captivating verse!"

"Maybe cool it on the creepy Shakespeare quotes for people that we've just met, Effie?" Thomas asked, immediately dissipating the macabre tension that had engulfed the huge room. Evidently, he hadn't heard Wren's exasperated compliment. "Your vast knowledge and memory always impress me to no end, but Alex here looks ready to have a heart-attack."

"Apologies," Ophelia chuckled elegantly, slightly more lilt present in her otherworldly voice. She grasped gently at the torn edges of her dress and performed a modest, respectful curtsy. The icy vapour that had once surrounded the spirit had disappeared in a flash, and a comforting warmth soon returned to the quiet lodge. "I simply couldn't resist showing off."

"It's alright," I sighed in relief, exhausted from all of the surprises in the past few minutes. Ophelia became a lot less intimidating when she wasn't surrounded by a sub-zero mist, and actually looked quite adorable once corporeal. I had always been fascinated by ghost types. Now that my sexual urges had been awakened, I was even more interested in seducing one. "I'd probably do the same thing if I could phase through walls and turn invisible as well."

"Possibilities are endless once you let go of mortality's strong hand," Ophelia nodded, levitating weightlessly towards her dear trainer and caressing his broad, hairless shoulders. Thomas gritted his perfect teeth and tensed his toned muscles at the maiden's deathly touch. Clearly, the two were very comfortable in each other's presence, despite all the shivering.

"More importantly, I'm actually glad you caught me alone like this," Thomas began, reaching into one of the shallow pockets of his expensive trousers. Ophelia sensed the conversation turning more professional, and faded silently back into the aether with another graceful bow. "I've been meaning to give you this for a while now, but it took hours of searching inside boxes in my dusty attic before I found it again. Here, something else to help with your work."

"Uh, thank you… but, what is it?" I faltered, staring in confusion at the shiny black rectangle that had been shoved into my ungrateful hands. The object was completely featureless, no screens or buttons in sight. The only things I noticed were the faint scratches and dried stains.

"It's my old, treasured Pokédex from a few years ago," Thomas explained, sauntering over with a nostalgic grin to join me in staring at the strange device. Distracted by his chiselled, bare chest, I failed to notice that he had already flipped open the front cover and was fiddling with the screen covered in oily fingerprints. "I scanned the shit out of everything back in my battling days, so the mountains of data in there should make your job a whole lot easier."

"Don't get me wrong, I'm really grateful that you thought of me, but are you sure that you don't wanna keep it for, like… sentimental value?" I spluttered, thinking of any excuse that would convince him to keep the device. Pokédexes were luxuries that few trainers could afford, especially ones that had already been filled out. "What if you need it again one day?"

"Oh, that won't be a problem!" Thomas reassured, patting me roughly on the back with his spare hand as the other scrolled through pages of text. "I finally purchased the newest model and got a friend to copy all of the data over, so this one is all yours now! It's missing some features that the newer ones have like voice recognition, but who needs all that shit anyway?"

"Nothing that I could possibly say would convince you to end up keeping it, right?" I sighed, attempting to conceal my rising excitement as he continued to search through the database of Pokémon information. His extensive Pokédex was missing a few important entries such as endangered species and Alolan forms, but it was still an impressive amount for just a battler.

"You know me too well," he grinned, switching the device to standby and closing the cover. He began to head for the door that lead into the spare bedrooms, as if to seal the deal once and for all, but as his shoes clicked away on the hardwood flooring, I turned the older Dex over in my hands and noticed a tarnished sticker adhered to the back of it. Like a nametag.

"Who's Athena?" I bluntly asked, causing my hasty boss' noisy shoes to stop with a squeal. The sticker bore the name of the Greek goddess, associated with wisdom, skill and courage.

"That's just what Hannah started to call it," he replied quietly, suddenly losing the cocky tone to his voice. He peered over his shoulder at me with honest eyes, although his scowl told me it was with reluctance. "It's a common tradition for trainers to name each other's Pokédexes."

"What is Hannah to you?" I questioned sharply, unable to stop myself before it was too late. The simple, loaded question had been silently brewing in my head for more than a few days. Even a socially-awkward fool like myself could figure it out. "More than a battling partner?"

"She was my soulmate… once," he responded with dull, morose honesty. He gave me a final, hollow stare before treating into the hallway, bottled heartache evident in his unsteady stride. "Nothing more than a colleague now. Like she wanted."

"How long had you two been dating?" I asked once more, even though there was no one to direct the question towards. I saw Thomas' shadow pause in the glowing light of the hallway.

"You can ask her that yourself… since you've gotten so close," responded the bitter shadow. I felt a cold, unnatural chill wash over my prickly skin, even though Ophelia had long since disappeared and Wren was resting on the couch. "Opening old wounds is not to my benefit."

"Just what the hell happened between you two!?" I shouted, unease tearing at my very being. I wanted to shatter the Pokédex against the wall, just to catch Thomas' attention and force him to answer every one of my questions. Something awful had definitely happened here.

"You've grown brave," was the last thing it said. "It'll be useful here. And with her."


	14. Fire Walk With Me

Burning. Encompassing. Suffocating.

The constant, boiling water cascading down from the shower's huge, rectangular nozzle had almost smothered me in a blanket of warm steam. Each scorching droplet that pierced the raw, red flesh on my back made me writhe, but I didn't dare move from under the harsh, whistling waterfall. It wasn't just the blistering temperature of the water that was killing me. It was who I happened to be sharing the excruciating shower with. Barely registering the hot twinges of pain, I focused my wandering attention onto the dirty whirlpool that was swirling above the drain. Strands of artificial, pink hair clung desperately to the dark, grimy grate and were soon drowned in a flow of bubbling conditioner that smelled strongly of strawberries. Melodious humming tickled at my flushed ears, although the tune was anything but soothing.

"Water's not too hot for you, my love?" Hannah asked sweetly, her shapely backside facing me as she rubbed gentle, foaming hands through her short hair. The largest tattoo on her body was a strange, ornamental javelin which traced the length of her curved spine. A Greek spear. Tipped with a golden blade and wrapped in intricate, black designs, it was a pure work of art. "You've turned more crimson than a Crawdaunt that lost its shell. I can make it cold again."

"No, no, everything's fine!" I lied unconvincingly, watching as her blue eyes narrowed in the reflection of the shower tiles. She had either gotten shampoo in them, or had figured me out. "This is just my first time showering with someone, so I'm feeling a little self-conscious…"

"Must be true, 'cuz you haven't moved a muscle for five minutes," Hannah smiled sensually. The way her curves rippled along with her echoing voice would have been pretty erotic if I wasn't currently having a breakdown. "Let me rinse my hair out, then I'll give you a hand."

How had things ended up like this? When Hannah finally returned from the incubation shed, Thomas had already bolted out of the back entrance the moment that he heard her humming, still shoving an arm through his expensive suit-jacket as he dashed across the vast garden. Throwing away my pride, I frantically whispered for him to stay behind and help me explain the situation, but he was already gone. Left with nobody else to hide behind, I panicked like an idiot and stuffed the expensive Pokédex into the overflowing pocket of my jeans, pretending that Thomas had never been there in the first place. What else was I supposed to fucking do? My lovely boss had just dropped the massive bloody bombshell on me that he had once considered my new girlfriend to be his soulmate, and now secretly resented her after she broke up with him. I wasn't exactly in the best state of mind. Failing to notice my nerves, Hannah suggested that we take a romantic shower together to save some time. Wonderful.

I didn't know what to think about this crazy job and the relationships that I had made with its eccentric employees anymore. Some dramatic event happened in the ranch's past which created a hurtful rift between the two familiar trainers, enough for Hannah to leave Thomas, but not enough for her to abandon her stressful role as egg matriarch. She may have just been too invested in the overall business and its many Pokémon, since she had witnessed its very inception and creation from nothing at all. Thomas had been her close, childhood companion. They had been linked together long before the breeding ranch was a dream in Thomas' mind. In fact, Hannah must have left her parents and old life behind in Sinnoh to come work here. She had been living at the ranch for all this time. She didn't have anywhere else to go now. Not to mention, in my first couple days of working here, the two seemed to get along fine! Aside from the awkwardness Hannah showed about her past in battling, she still interacted with Thomas using friendliness and respect. She even convinced him to let me keep Wren.

"Which one do you prefer – strawberry or mint?" Hannah questioned randomly, snapping me from the dangerous cycle of negative thoughts. I blinked a few times in dazed befuddlement. She had kneeled down against the rim of the shower and was gesturing towards two bottles.

"Uh… well, strawberry, I guess…" my lips responded absentmindedly, mind too entranced by the way that her toned, flexible back arched as she reached for the soapy, pink container. Without a doubt, she was deliberately shaking her ass right in front of my unworthy face. Even though I was incredibly concerned about her past with Thomas, my primal urges couldn't be suppressed for very long. I wondered if Hannah had noticed my hesitance and was trying to take my mind off things. I should really try to forget about it for the moment.

"Good choice," she smirked, wiggling her hips in approval as she flipped open the tall bottle. "I have no idea how Brandon can suffer through the minty one. I was forced to use it once when the girl's shampoo ran out and my scalp burned for days. Stripped my hair of its dye."

"… Do you always dye it pink?" I asked curiously, after violently shaking my soaking head to finally dispel the awful thoughts of drama between exes. Being such an anxious wreck when my girlfriend was naked and presenting herself for me would only make things worse. Hannah flashed me a sincere smile as I finally stopped sulking in the corner and took a composed breath of fresh air. She beckoned me closer with a pleased giggle as I stepped through the powerful jet of hot water. The myriad of personal questions could wait a while.

"Most of the time, yeah," she responded happily, pressing her soft, petite chest against my bare skin which sent a surge of instinctive excitement below my waist. A heavenly feeling. "Sometimes, my tattoo artist will recommend a new colour if he thinks it'll look good on me, but bubble-gum pink is the default choice. It was light blue at the start of this year, actually."

"Very cute," I replied quietly, shivering in ascended bliss as her masterful hands worked their way into the messy, tangled forest of hair atop my head that I called a style. Our warm bodies were incredibly close together, steamy lips almost touching, her wet inner thigh rubbing against my waist as she methodically played with each stray strand and intimately coated my scalp in the fruity shampoo. "I wouldn't mind seeing your natural colour. I love blondes."

"Someone's perceptive," she purred, a single hand tracing circles down my chest as she inched ever closer to my rising desire, the other continuing to slowly groom my still head. Now I understood why she was so inconveniently eager for us to shower together. Saving time was such an obvious, flimsy excuse. "Notice that the carpet didn't match the drapes?"

"When you were brushing your hair after the very first time I fucked you silly, to be precise," I breathed lustily, resting my quivering lips against hers after I had finished speaking, my teasing words eliciting a quiet moan. That was my cue to pull us under the warm spout of water, rinsing off the remaining shampoo and ensuring that the only way she wouldn't get a mouthful of soapy liquid was to kiss me. Sharing our breath soon made me lose composure.

Our free hands explored every wanting area of each other. Wet fingers glided against the skin of my thick shaft and pressed my cockhead against Hannah's scratchy mound, massaging her sensitive clit as she grinded upon my slippery body. I groped uncontrollably at her round, ample breasts, fingers running over and pinching at her hard nipples, causing her to shudder and whine into my mouth. Silencing her with my tongue, I did the same to her toned cheeks, roughly grabbing and squeezing a handful with either hand, parting them to tease at her hole with a spare finger. She jolted forwards in surprise, pushing her slick pussy lips along my twitching dick, the end of my length poking through her pillowy thighs, weakening my knees.

Seizing her chance, she gently tickled at my balls with deft fingers as she jammed her own tongue further towards my throat. Rocking her hips back and forth with considerable speed, she gave me an amazing thigh-job that I only thought was possible in my wildest fantasies. Deciding to outdo her, I stopped tracing an index finger around the forbidden ring and pushed the lubricated digit surprisingly easily inside of her ass. She had no doubt been training for Dominic's evolution. One finger soon turned into two, plunged deep in the depths of her rear, down to the knuckle. She bit down on my bottom lip as I rapidly fingerfucked her experienced anus, the curved palm of my hand slapping loudly against her jiggling cheeks. Taking it up the backdoor seemed to drive her mad with lust as she nearly pinned me against the glass partition of the shower, my own back now pressed against the much colder surface.

Sharp nails scratched fiercely at my shoulders as she tightened her legs around my member, embracing me in a fleshy vice of unadulterated pleasure. We stood relatively motionless under the steaming shower for what felt like hours without taking a single, needy breath. Hannah tensed her powerful leg muscles every few seconds to effortlessly stimulate us both. Every time she did so, her stretched butthole would clamp down onto my intruding fingers. Tongues battled against each other to see who could go the longest without breaking the kiss, both content to choke and die so long as we could stay connected. Her hands never stopped for a single moment, and when she wasn't handling my sensitive balls and shaft, she caressed my hair, face, neck, shoulders, chest, back, thighs, ass… absolutely anything she could touch. It was like she was obsessed with me. Entwined together like that, despite her past, despite my worries, despite reason, made me realise that I was being a dumbass for avoiding things. Even though she had just recently entered my life, I loved her so much that I was willing to forego breathing just so I could taste her for a little longer. So, I must be willing to talk too.

Slowly removing my fingers as to not hurt her, I finally ducked out of the Kalosian kiss with such a breath that you'd think I had swum up from the bottom of the ocean. As soon as my sore fingers unhooked themselves from the warm entrance, she let out an uncontrollable, pleasured groan and her blue eyes started to roll to the back of her head. Even while under the controlled stream of water from the shower, I felt a heavier splash of juices flow down my cock as she came from getting her asshole toyed with. I couldn't help but smirk dominantly. While the sensation from her vibrating thighs wasn't enough to bring me to my own climax, seeing her enjoy herself so much was almost nearly a better experience. Equally as satisfying.

"There's the expression I wanted to see on your handsome face," Hannah whispered tiredly, wrapping her dripping arms around my torso in a rare, vulnerable embrace. She was almost redder than I was, chest heaving as she took in huge gulps of misty air. "Works every time. Whenever a man clearly has something on his mind, play with his dick and he soon forgets."

"Hannah," I began, throat seizing like the very idea of speech was strangling me mercilessly. My voice emanated with confidence, perhaps for the first time since entering the hot shower. At the utterance of her name, she looked up. "I really love you. Don't ever think otherwise."

"Oh, Alex… I know you do," she whimpered emotionally, placing her small head against my chest as if to listen to my anxious, thundering heartbeat. Her muscular legs stopped gyrating and she let out a relieved sigh, muffled amidst the loud, therapeutic sound of trickling water.

"That's why I think we should both have a proper talk about the past," I admitted earnestly, hugging her closer to my chest like I was afraid the remaining water would wash her away. "After we finish our shower, of course. I'm not the type of guy to leave things incomplete."

"I was just thinking the same thing y'know," Hannah replied, making a bittersweet sound that was somewhere between a laugh and a sob. Confirming my suspicions, she brought a finger up to her glistening eyes and wiped away a tear, even though we were still under the nozzle. "You deserve an explanation. More than anybody here. I'm really sorry for being so vague."

"Honestly, it's alright," I consoled tenderly, swirling a sodden lock of her rosy hair around my finger as I closed my eyes, attempting to quell the waves of indescribable emotion that were threatening to overflow and also reduce me to tears. I wasn't going to cry in front of her. "I have something that I want to apologise for too. I want there to be no secrets between us."

"I've also never had a heartfelt moment with someone while straddling their rock-hard cock," she laughed, peering down and giving my throbbing, wet erection a gentle stroke to further emphasise the absurdity of the whole situation. I tried to supress a moan. "Feels kinda weird."

"At least there's never a dull moment when I'm around, right?" I grinned stupidly.

* * *

After a little more erotic, soapy action, I finally got a precious chance to breathe and cool off from the horrible anxiety as I lay wrapped in nothing but a fluffy towel, snuggled up to Wren who was stretched across the couch. His claws and lips would twitch every couple of minutes in response to whatever he was dreaming about. Whatever it was, he looked to be enjoying it. Although, he was clearly exhausted after having stayed the night in Katie's lusty apartment. Maybe I should've payed closer attention to him. I couldn't help but wonder if he had gotten up to anything while I had been preoccupied and he was too afraid to tell me. Probably not.

The impending sense of doom and dread I had felt earlier started to melt away along with the sugary marshmallow that was slowly dissolving into my mug of hot chocolate, which Hannah insisted was an instant cure for relationship stress. I took her word, as she definitely had more experience than me in these complicated matters. She was sitting cross-legged on the couch across from mine, blowing on the steaming rim of her own pink mug with a hushed whistle. With the fireplace crackling away and Eloise still nesting up in the dusty rafters, the lodge had a cosy and inviting atmosphere. I kind of wished everyone else was here to experience it.

"So, do you wanna go first?" Hannah asked, swiftly trading her sopping towel for a fluffy, luscious purple gown. Even while attempting to be serious, she couldn't hide a smirk as she deftly tied the robe's belt around her curvy waist. "Or maybe I should start telling my tale?"

"Might as well get all of my stupid shit out of the way," I replied quietly, trying to lure Eloise down from the old ceiling with the promise of a marshmallow piece soaked in the cocoa mix. I didn't really mind her nesting anywhere she liked, but her wings were going to get totally covered in dirt and cobwebs. I wanted her to cuddle into my lap, so I could feel her warmth.

"Alex… work with me here," Hannah disapproved sternly, finally waving my Swablu down to nestle in her soft dressing gown. My heart dropped at the betrayal. "Even if they might be a little stupid, your issues are no less meaningful than mine are. I'll listen with no judgement."

"Alright, fine," I conceded with a wavering sigh, shoving all of the concerns out of my head and attempting to psych myself up for divulging nothing but the truth. Confrontation had never been something I handled well, especially not with romantic partners. It was difficult. "It's just, well… it's dumb, but Thomas was here earlier, and he offered me his old Pokédex to help with my work, and I ended up asking what his deal was with you, and once he told me that you two had dated once, it made me totally freak out, and that's why I was being weird, and Arceus, it's dumb, but I really, really want to know what happened between you two…"

"Okay, okay, calm down and take a breath before you suffocate," she finally interjected, gently sliding a Pikachu coaster across the coffee table and setting down her oversized mug. Her beautiful blue eyes fell on me as she keenly absorbed my unfocused words, smirk soon fading from her face to be replaced with a sombre frown. Eloise could sense the sudden shift. "I guessed something like that happened. Expected it to happen earlier, actually. Fuck, why didn't you say anything before the shower? I wouldn't have forced you to take one with me."

"I tried to pretend nothing had happened 'cuz you might've been angry that I talked with him about your past. Listen, I just panicked, and didn't want to upset you, and now we're here," I simply pouted, frustration stinging at the back of my eyes as I pointed into the dark hallway like a frightened child. "Athena's still on the bathroom floor in the back-pocket of my jeans."

"Athena…" Hannah parroted in surprise, a quaint, nostalgic smile returning to her pale lips. Whatever that reaction was, it wasn't the one I was expecting. She relaxed back in her seat. "Jeez, it's been years since I heard that name. I dunno what the hell I was thinking honestly, it's such a cliché and uncreative thing to call a Pokédex. How's she doing? Still working?"

"Well, I haven't really had a chance to play around with her yet," I replied casually, before the realisation suddenly hit me like a runaway Magnet train. I stared at her in bewilderment. "Wait, you're not pissed off at me? Even though I was trying to keep everything a secret?"

"Of course not," she laughed, apparently getting quite the kick out of my confusion. Eloise chirped jovially alongside her, although she probably had no idea what all the fuss was about. "I would've done the same thing. Brandon and Katie were walking on eggshells for a while after Tom and I finally broke up too. I don't blame you for considering my feelings at all."

"So, is there really no bad blood between you two?"

"Now, that I didn't say," Hannah sighed, cycling through a whirlwind of both positive and negative emotions right in front of me. "A lot of the resentment is mostly on Tom's side. All my feelings for him vanished pretty quickly, but I don't think he ever really recovered from the breakup. That's his problem to deal with, not mine. He's a prideful man who made a lot of awful, nasty mistakes, so now he has to really learn how to cope with them. Without me."

"What… happened, exactly?" I asked hesitantly, feeling that sickly seed of horror plant itself deep inside my gut once again. It was an awful, cold sensation – like a sea of slimy Huntail slithering across my skin. "I understand if you don't want to recount all the details, but…"

"No, we're getting all of this out in the open tonight," she demanded, an abject, determined fire burning away behind her pupils despite her trembling fingers. She gripped at the mug once again to steady herself. "We'll be here for a while, so get comfy. It's quite a long story."

* * *

Tom always loves to say that he got the funds to build the ranch from his rich family, but that's not entirely true. A majority of the money he made before this business took off was prize money from battling tournaments that we entered and won together. Remember that brat who challenged me to a battle when you were getting your trainer's licence? He knew me from the double battles that I would compete in with Tom as my partner, as we had become pretty popular and respected over the years. We would enter small competitions only to completely destroy our opponents and take first place. At first, the rewards were small and barely enough to cover our living expenses. But, our notoriety would grow with every win, and we eventually got offers to travel all around the world and compete in real tournaments. We were already dating before all this, but I really started to love and respect him due to his desire and perseverance to collect enough money to build the ranch. Even though battling wasn't his direct passion, he still poured his blood, sweat and tears into training his team in order to make his dream come true. And eventually, it did. We collected enough money to start working seriously on the ranch, and I had never seen Tom so fulfilled and happy.

It didn't last long though. Something he didn't realise was breeding ranches cost a fucking fortune to maintain, even after the massive initial cost of the land and incubation machines. Katie and Brandon had to be paid for their work, but soon both our banks were almost empty. Keep in mind, we were still pretty young and stupid. I left Sinnoh with Tom when I was only eighteen, the same age as you are right now. Can you imagine that? Leaving your home, family and friends to stay in a shitty apartment with your new boyfriend because you wanted to help make his dream become a reality. My love for him kept me from questioning things, kept me from seeing things for how they really were, kept me away from reality before it was too late. Maybe if we weren't dating I could've seen what was starting to happen to Tom. He soon used up all the money we had collected over about three years of hardcore battling, and we found ourselves back on the flights around the globe to attend more doubles tournaments. The mood was different this time. It wasn't right. We knew just how much money we'd need. The pressure to win and keep the ranch afloat began to gnaw at us both and our Pokémon. Britney's hair started to fall out due to stress. Gulliver, Tom's Dragonite, became depressed.

I knew what was happening, but Tom didn't. I was too afraid to say that what we were doing wasn't healthy anymore, that we should find another way to make money before something really bad happened. See, sometimes we'd lose a battle or two and not qualify for the finals. For me, this meant a few more sleepless nights of training and encouragement until we found another competition that would accept us. For Tom, this meant more time that the new ranch wasn't developing and more money that was lost forever. While his intense desire to become a world-renowned breeder is his biggest advantage, it's also his most damaging weakness. His need for battling had been tainted, and it manifested in changes of his training technique. He'd overwork his team members. Even though Gulliver needed a break, he was Tom's ace. Gulliver was the reason we succeeded so often, so Tom would push him further and further until he reached a breaking point and refused to battle anymore. He actually snapped and charged a Dragon Pulse at his own trainer before Britney persuaded him to stop and relax. Honestly, the way Tom looked at his own starter without an ounce of fear as it could have easily reduced him to a pile of ash still haunts me. It was like he didn't care if Gulliver did it.

I forced Tom to take a break from tournaments since we had made enough money to survive a couple more months, but the ranch had to stay closed. Katie and Brandon even offered to work again for free, but he wouldn't let them. Things actually got better for a while, although I could never tell what he was thinking and that scared me. These experiences changed him. Sorry if you don't wanna hear this, but we'd often have sex like every day in the beginning, even while travelling, but at the end of all this… he wouldn't even touch me. Or his team. This sad existence continued on for a while as our money slowly dried up, but one day, Tom came to me with an egg in his hands and said that he had found a way to solve everything. There was a joyful glint in his eye that reminded me of the old days, and I thought that everything might turn out alright in the end. I was too blinded by love and his manipulative words to see that it would be the last time I would ever consider him to be a suitable partner.

Inside the egg was a rare, pedigree Fletchling with golden feathers. Tom had used the very last of our funds to purchase a new Pokémon that we would have to care for until it hatched. He bought it from some breeder he once heard about while we were staying in Kalos for a summer tournament. Jude was his name, and he specialised in 'perfect' Pokémon, ones selectively bred to become the best battling specimens they could be. That was perhaps the angriest I've ever been with another person. He had impulsively bought a Pokémon that he intended to use as a tool to win more battles and make more money, not to mention the fact he expected me to look after the egg for him. Although, this anger was soon replaced with an idiotic belief that maybe the Fletchling would really help us. If he actually was totally perfect, then we could finally stomp the remaining tournaments and make enough to get us past the ranch's first hurdle. So, like the submissive little girlfriend I was, I agreed to compete again.

Tom named him Icarus. Amazingly, he did hatch with shiny, golden feathers and was strong enough to fly long distances right after being born. The presence of a new, bright soul helped all of us, and it was even enough to bring Gulliver out of his depressive slump. I was afraid of Tom falling back into his old habits of pushing his team members way beyond their limits, but I was just happy to have some normalcy back in my life. Even though we had no money, we focused on raising Icarus properly until he was old enough to participate in tournaments. At least, I thought we were raising him properly. What I didn't know at the time, was that Tom was sneaking the Fletchling out at night and pushing him through a gruelling regime of battling wild Pokémon who were far stronger than him. I only found out he was doing all of this when he came bursting into our apartment in the middle of the night, clutching an unconscious Icarus in his bloody arms and sobbing inconsolably. Instantly, I knew what had happened and how much of a fucking idiot I was for not helping. One of his tiny wings had been shredded apart and was crooked in all the wrong places. I didn't need to be a doctor to understand that he would never be able to fly again, especially since he was still so young. The growth in that wing would be stunted forever. Tom had done something so entirely awful that I just couldn't stay with him. I didn't care about his reasons. After getting Icarus to an intensive-care centre, I told him that I never wanted to see him again and went to stay with Katie and Julian for a couple weeks. My phone almost exploded due to all of his phone calls.

Eventually, once Icarus was stable enough, Tom vowed never to compete in a tournament again and sought out therapy for his mental issues. I focused on helping my team recover. The ranch suddenly opened a few months after all of that happened and we got talking again. He wasn't the same… but he was better. Even after all he had done, I did still care about him, just not like I once had. I still believed in his dream, and after a lot of convincing from Katie, I took up the role of egg specialist and tried to forget about everything. Battling, most of all. To repent for his sins, he let me stay here free of charge now that money wasn't an issue.

How did he suddenly have this new money when we had been struggling for all those years? It's exactly like he told you on the first day you started working here! He begged his parents. Like he should have done from the very, very beginning. His pride as the embarrassed child of an insanely rich family and my hesitation caused us to hurt so many people and Pokémon. He told me that his success as a breeder would have been worthless if his family helped him. That's the worst part of it all. Everything could have been avoided if he wasn't so arrogant. Icarus serves as a reminder of his and my mistake. Don't worry, he's still alive and happy. He's just unable to fly for very long, and can never be as perfect as he was intended to be.

So yeah, that's why things are awkward between us. Because his 'dream' changed us both.

* * *

By the time Hannah finished her tense story, each of our mugs had long since been drained of curative hot chocolate. She had decided to crawl over to my couch instead and lay her head across my accepting lap, wrenching her eyes shut as she couldn't bear to look up at my face. Nevertheless, I silently played with soft strands of her strawberry-scented hair with one hand and caressed Wren's tattered head-feather with the other, never once interrupting or losing focus over her heavy words. Her bony cheeks were damp and sticky with burdened tears, which I would carefully wipe away whenever they trickled gently down from her closed eyes. Every so often, Eloise would croon and nibble lovingly at her hands in reassurance when she would tremble or fall silent for a while. Having to recount every dark, sordid detail about Thomas and her past seemed to physically and mentally exhaust her. Now I could see why she acted so strange whenever battling was brought up. It was hard to believe that she had endured so much heartbreak and was still strong enough to keep working and stay positive. Our lives couldn't compare. I was a sheltered kid and she was a woman tired of the world. Did she really have problems sleeping due to her work schedule, or was it something else? Was she wracked with thoughts about Thomas and her old life? About those she harmed?

"Hannah, I'm so, so sorry that all of this happened to you," was all I could say in the end.

"This is why I was so hesitant to tell you about myself," she finally admitted, her lovely voice now hoarse and deepened from an hour of speaking. When I looked down, her alluring eyes were open once again. Pools of lustrous cobalt, with foggy specks of something much darker waiting just beneath the surface, begging not to be stirred. "The baggage makes it too messy."

"We certainly are much different in that regard," I replied, bopping her on the tip of the nose. Maybe not the best idea, but I was trying to bring some levity to the situation and put a smile back on her face, even if it was dangerous. My assumption about her not wanting to dwell on the past was entirely correct. "The worst thing I've done in my romantic history is drunkenly make out with a sober dude on prom night while my old girlfriend watched from our table."

"Seriously?" she chuckled, swatting playfully at my hand before I could try to pull it away. She took a renewed breath after a sniffle and cuddled even deeper into my waist, dragging Eloise up to her chest like a plush toy. "Wow, you're a monster! Gonna need more details."

"Well, if you really insist…" I grinned in response to her upbeat laughter. "It all started when some old friends snuck a bottle of vodka into the school and had the brilliant idea to stash it in the boy's toilets. That night was the first time I had ever gotten completely shitfaced, y'know like – 'can't remember my own name' drunk – and apparently I started grinding on this dude that I barely knew in front of my girlfriend at the time. She stood up and slapped me while screaming about how I ruined her night and how she always knew I was actually a fag. Then, I proceeded to puke all over myself in front of the teachers. Almost didn't graduate."

"Holy shit, she sounds like a total bitch, calling you that out of nowhere," Hannah remarked, energy suddenly flooding back into her awakened body as she propped herself up with a red cushion and scowled angrily at me. It was incredibly surprising that she had recovered from being morose and downtrodden so quickly. Even more surprising was the fact my shitty plan to take her mind off Thomas and the ranch's history actually worked. "What was her name?"

"Erin, and she wasn't all that bad, aside from the random homophobia there at the very end," I replied, tilting my tired head onto the back of the couch and smirking with bittersweet, casual remembrance. She was the only person other than Hannah that I had once felt a true connection with, but it clearly only lasted a few months. I hoped this one would never fade. "To be fair, I never should've been flirting with that cute guy, even though he said he was totally game for giving me a blowjob in the toilets after prom finished. It was the alcohol."

"Did you ever hook up with him?" she asked with a curious smile. "Sounds like a match made in heaven right there."

"Sadly, it wasn't meant to be," I replied, feigning wistfulness and regret. "After throwing up all of the vodka and cake, a couple friends brought me home and I passed out in the hallway."

"What a damn shame," Hannah consoled persuasively, causing me to finally break character and let out an uncontrollable, hushed snicker. Seeing her being able to joke around again was so therapeutic after what we had just been through. "Although, I am really glad that you turn into a horny little bastard when you're drunk, since that classy chain of events helped to bring you here. Erin can fuck off. Hannah's here to stay."

"Hey, if we managed to survive tonight without a proper fight, we can survive anything else that happens, right?" I said, reaching down to smother her in an overprotective embrace. Eloise was squashed between my bare skin and a fleecy dressing gown, but she didn't seem to mind. In fact, she adored being so close to us both. Hannah gave me a loving squeeze.

"Fuck yeah we can," she agreed enthusiastically, leaning up on her elbow to give me a quick, dry peck on the lips. The fresh scent of the recent shower still lingered attractively on her pale, tattooed skin. "Thank you, Alex. Seriously. For managing to handle the total mess that was tonight without making it too serious. You're incredible at sensing what people need."

"Well, it's like you told me back when we first met Wren," I began, feeling like that whole event was years in the past already, even though it had only been a couple days ago. The ranch really did bend the rules of time. "Pokémon aren't the only ones that I can cheer up."

"I think you deserve a reward after all of this relationship progress," she decided quietly, while dragging a polished nail across my chest in perfect, sinister circles. I became acutely aware that there was only a flimsy, wet towel separating my naked body from her teasing. "Actually, I was planning a sexy surprise for you before all of this drama, and they should still be raring to go if you're up for a bit of fun."

"Who's they?" I questioned, even though I had an inkling about who she was alluding to. Obviously, it was the ranch residents. My mind was already racing with the potential species.

"A bunch of big, horny dogs that've been waiting to have their way with you for some time," she explained with a proud, sly grin, flopping a rowdy Eloise back down onto the red couch cushion before getting to her bare feet. She stretched and gestured out the front window after a laboured yawn. "Kelvin, the ranch's frisky Flareon, rounded up a few of his friends who have been dying to show you their skills. I was hoping to introduce you after our shower."

"If they're that interested in me, how could I refuse?"

"Wicked," she drawled coolly. "Don't bother getting changed. The towel will be just fine for what we're gonna be doing. Or, if you're feeling really brave, why not walk around naked?"

"I don't wanna give the entire ranch an excuse to jump me," I laughed earnestly, giving Wren a final scratch behind his dull, wiry ear before standing up again. As if on cue, the towel suddenly unwrapped from my skinny waist and silently dropped onto the green rug. With a startled blush, I scrambled to grab it and cover myself. "Not yet, at least. Maybe in a week."

"Suit yourself," she replied, blatantly staring at my package until it was obscured again. I was really tempted to throw the cold towel in her face, but was nowhere near courageous enough. "Don't worry, I'll leave my whole team here for babysitting duty. Wren doesn't look like he'll be waking up any time soon, but Eloise could use the company. Isn't that right, honey?"

"I want to try battling with Britney!" my Swablu chirped with excitement. She must have listened to Hannah's entire story as well, but seemed not to understand the deeper meaning behind the risks that came with battling. I had expected her attitude to change at least a little.

"You've still got a long way to go before challenging her, but maybe you can ask her for some tips that she's learned, okay?" Hannah cooed, humouring the tiny bundle of energy. Dealing with hatchlings was definitely her forte. "Alright, let's go already, I wanna blow off all this new steam. Kelvin said he was gonna gather everyone near the southern storeroom."

"Bye, bye!" Eloise called, her squawks not even enough to wake Wren. At least he was comfortable enough around the lodge to let his guard down completely. "Have lots of fun!"

* * *

I still received plenty of curious stares from the nocturnal ranch Pokémon as I strutted around the dirt pathways wearing nothing but a towel. What I assumed to be the permanent residents barely gave me a second glance, as if this happened all the time. Meanwhile, the young ones waiting to be sold to budding trainers were pretty confused. A cheeky little Axew with small, chipped tusks pointed at us and laughed as we hurried past the idyllic hills. Trying to ignore the dragon type, I winced as tiny pebbles prodded into the smooth heels of my aching feet. Hannah easily dragged me out of the lodge before I even had the chance to put my shoes on, and I was too focused on trying not to flash the hatchlings to walk onto the trimmed grass. With horny determination, she herded me all the way to the outskirts of the ranch, nearby the towering fences that marked its borders. The wild forests beyond the gates looked unsettling in the late evening, and I couldn't help but think of Wren trying to survive out there before he found this safe haven. My eyebrows furrowed in discomfort as I thought about his loneliness.

I wasn't given much time to dwell upon the depressing image, as we soon encountered a pack of four canine Pokémon who were lounging around the sturdy fences. Hannah offered them all a casual, friendly wave which pulled up her dressing gown and exposed her bare thighs. Their tails began to wag with exhilaration at the seductive sight. I was blessed with an even better view since I was trailing behind at my usual, sluggish pace. Once I tore my eyes away from her shapely rear end, I suddenly recognised one of the four-legged figures as Amon the devilish Houndoom, even though he was perfectly camouflaged against the inky black sky. He was sitting straight up like a statue, always alert and ready to pounce on any strangers. The second that he recognised me, his lips pulled apart in a malevolent smile and his throat pulsated with an internal, orange glow. He was largely responsible for spreading the word about my 'counselling' services, and judging by his friends, it was obvious that he had stayed true to his ominous words. He was seated next to a Flareon, Arcanine and a young Growlithe.

"Aww, Rezan decided not to show after all, Kelvie?" Hannah asked, disappointment barely masked by her high-pitched, loving tone as she patted gently at the groomed Flareon's mane.

"Nah, the big softie said that he wanted Alex all to himself, so he's gonna wait for a chance to find him alone," the popular Eeveelution explained, thumping one of his back legs against the ground in response to Hannah's skilful petting. The Growlithe stared over in jealousy. "He's always been way too vanilla for our tastes anyway, so it's not the end of the world!"

"His cock is bloody massive for a Lucario though," Hannah whispered crudely, which only reaffirmed my earlier suspicions of her being a size queen. I kept my mouth shut this time. "Well, it looks like we've got ourselves a classic, fiery orgy then. Should be tons of fun."

"Are you not going to introduce us, Hannah?" the Arcanine barked loudly, ignoring the tiny Growlithe that was attempting to climb onto his broad, striped back. The humungous dog's voice was so grand and booming that it made Devon's experimental translator squeal harsh static directly into my ear. Being suddenly reminded of its existence was strange. It was so light and well-designed that I had forgot about it. "That's setting a bad example for Aiden."

"Oh, yeah, sure…" Hannah nodded, hesitating as she held a palm against her translator ear. "Alex, you've already had the pleasure of meeting Amon, then I've told you about Kelvin, the giant Arcanine with the golden voice is Tyson, and the playful Growlithe over there is the oldest of his many kids. Together, there's Aiden, Asher, Ashley, August and Aubrey. Got it?"

"Kind of?" I responded, failing to catch most of the last names which blended together.

"Nice to meet you, mister!" said the Growlithe, racing up to scrape clumsily at my bare knees with his white claws and almost tearing away the towel. Instantly, I remembered the porn video that I drunkenly watched that night, which basically started this whole poképhilia thing. "I can't wait to tell my brothers and sisters about you! Asher wants to know your dick size!"

"Language," Tyson reprimanded protectively, despite the weird fact he was allowing his son to partake in an orgy. His priorities were out of order. "Say 'penis' or don't say it at all."

"Will I ever meet a Pokémon who is as wholesome as they look?" I asked while giving the excited Growlithe a rough scratch under his warm, bearded chin. They really were such an adorable species, and were high on the list of ones that I wanted my mother to buy for me. Maybe if things in my uneventful life happened differently, Aiden would've been my starter. "And you can tell Asher that I'm just barely short of six inches, alright? Six on a good day."

"Introductions really are touching and all," Amon began, striking sarcasm dripping off of every growled word that escaped through his sharp, yellowed fangs. Flaming smoke polluted the air around us and caressed his long, satanic horns before disappearing. "But here I am thinking that we all came out here for a much better reason. Personally, I hate wasting time."

"The old geezer's right," Kelvin agreed with a chuckle. The Houndoom glared in his direction at the insulting nickname but said nothing else. "Sadly, tonight won't last forever."

"We can make it feel like it does, though," Hannah replied with a suggestive smirk, returning to her position beside me and admiring the group of hounds. It seemed like the ranch had lots of canine Pokémon, either because they were popular with trainers or were easy to care for. Even without the Lucario present, it was still a respectable pack. "Let's get started, then!"

"Now Alex, you're gonna crawl on over here and mount me," Amon commanded with a gravelly, dominant snarl despite his submissive wishes. A plume of dangerous fire escaped for his dark-orange muzzle as his lengthy, red cock already started to prod out of its furry sheath. "Giving pleasure to us simple ranch residents is part of your job, after all. Hurry up!"

"Good luck, soldier!" Hannah said supportively, giving me an encouraging slap on the ass before whipping the blue towel away from my waist and leaving me completely exposed to the greedy canines. She slipped out of her dressing gown and threw it next to Tyson, who wagged his massive tail blissfully. "I'll be taking care of the big guy over there, so you don't need to worry about him overpowering you. I'm the only person here who can endure him!"

"Endure?" I repeated with a gulp, staring at the gigantic, intimidating Pokémon whose eyes were focused on Hannah's supple breasts. His snout was damp with excited saliva already. "That makes me feel so much better about all of this."

"Listen here, taking a knot up the butt isn't as bad as everyone says it is," she grinned, chewing on her bottom lip in uncontrollable anticipation. The lace panties she had been wearing were now tangled around her bare ankles, already glistening under the moonlight. "And hey, if it really starts to hurt, there's still the ambrosia tucked away inside my purse. Taking a quick swig of the stuff should dull the pain a little… or make it even more sensitive. I'm not entirely sure how it all works. All I know is that it makes it feel fucking awesome!"

"Sounds great," I replied with a grimace, although my uncovered dick was getting hard at the thought of forcibly being driven into the grass and muck by the energetic Flareon's thrusts, interlocked with no hope of escape. "Makes being unable to sit down after almost worth it."

"Kelvin and Aiden are like a quarter of Tyson's size, so I don't wanna hear any complaining or crying once we get started," she rattled on, wiggling a serious finger in my unsure face as she danced over to the oversized dog in question. The sight of her slender body next to Tyson and his unbelievable girth was comical. I couldn't help but wonder where all of it would go. "Alright, you boys play nice with my boyfriend here. He's never taken doggy dick before."

"Have fun, dad!" the young Growlithe barked, pawing at the ground in an attempted wave. "Try not to hurt the pretty lady too badly, alright? She's been awful nice to me in the past."

"Not about to make a promise," the Arcanine growled back with a malicious, predatory grin. The bond between father and son was clear in that smile. "Make sure to thank Alex, okay?"

"The family dynamics at this place never cease to amaze me," I commented under my lusty breath as the cool, night air tickled at my skin. I watched as Hannah sunk under the ocean of orange fur towards Tyson's musky underbelly. "Really, I could publish an entire thesis on it."

"Are you always this much of a nerd right before mating time?" Kelvin the Flareon teased, eyeing my loins over in a way that reminded me of Maxxie. Eeveelutions seemed to be the same in that regard. He, too, was absolutely alluring. I could see why they were so popular.

"Nope, just trying to calm my nerves," I shivered anxiously, giving my length an encouraging caress as I stepped towards the pack of primal hounds. Honestly, it was only the demonic one in the centre putting me on edge. Even though he seemed to be submissive, he was still scary.

"Will I just have to roll over and fuck myself?" Amon snarled, raising his scarred haunches towards me to reveal his tailhole, whipping his devilish tail from side to side. He had a patch of light-orange fur around his dark passage that looked like a tiny flame. "Kids these days…"

Before I even knew it, the head of my thick rod was already covered in translucent precum and lined up with the Houndoom's tight, warm entrance. The other dogs sniffed cordially at each other before anything else, Kelvin soon taking a particular interest in Amon's red poker. Meanwhile, I was totally enthralled by just how much heat was emanating from his asshole. Even though I hadn't started to push past the ring, the waves of warmth washing over my waiting cock was already enough to make me sweat. It was like standing inside a furnace. Gently, I let my slit press against the soft, pink flesh and almost recoiled in fear of getting burned in such a delicate area. The chill of evening air was replaced with a stifling fire. Despite the lubrication already on my head, I feared that the hound was too dry to enter.

"Nothing can hurt me anymore," Amon gloated, stabbing me in the stomach with his tail. Craning his neck, he looked at me with weathered confidence. "Thrust all of it in at once."

"You're the boss," I replied throatily, watching curiously as Kelvin dipped under the demonic dog's stomach to lap at the underside of his rocket. The Flareon was lying right on his back, staring up at the scene unfolding above him with erotic interest. He gave me a knowing wink.

After a final, tense second, I plunged my prick inside the Houndoom's pillowy rear with surprising ease. My knees almost buckled as the heat multiplied tenfold and threatened to singe the inches of skin pressed into Amon's boiling insides. I swore crudely as my hands gripped onto the taut flesh on his ass, knuckles whitening as I tried to endure the sensation that all of me was going to melt away. He was definitely looser than Maxxie, likely due to his many years of anal experience, but his body temperature was sending ripples of both intense pain and pleasure through the nerves of my cock. Amon's scorching walls clenched down on me as he uncontrollably flexed his muscles, due to the curious Flareon's swift tongue work. Somehow, I felt the warmth all the way up to my face and it was making it hard to breathe.

To feel the unbearable warmth yet again, I started thrusting my hips while looking down at a preoccupied Kelvin. His snout was now pressed into the hound's ballsack as his sticky tongue dragged across the furry flesh, sending trails of saliva dripping out of the sides of his mouth. Every so often, he would return to suckling on the bulging base of Amon's dick, his nostrils twitching to take in as much of the canine's scent as possible. Even I couldn't deny that the primal smell of sweat and dirty musk was making me drunk, so I couldn't imagine what it was like for a creature whose nose was so sensitive. It was making the Flareon's eyes flutter.

My focus was then drawn back towards Amon's hot tailhole, and I let my throbbing member slowly slide out of the invaded entrance to watch it yawn back at me, letting some of the fire type's inner heat escape. The frigid feeling of the wind reminded me just how warm and inviting his veteran anus was, so I repositioned myself and dove back inside, pressing my cockhead into his prostate. Amon unleashed a plume of thick, warm smoke from his old jaws, polluting the air with a new smell that was similar to burnt tyres. Every now and then, his tail would whip across my back like a torturous riding crop, spurring me to really bare down and slap his asscheeks with my thighs. Beads of sweat from both of our pleasured bodies dripped down onto Kelvin's orange tummy, as he had flipped himself around to finally take Amon's lengthy meat down his throat. The Flareon's own dick had flared to life and was twitching.

Suddenly, a new, volatile presence made itself known as Aiden's front paws propped up onto Amon's bony shoulders out of nowhere. The young Growlithe was bravely jamming his own small shaft into the Houndoom's face, who soon gave up attempting to resist and sank his drooling, fanged muzzle down upon the fleshy package. The needy puppy's rough tongue lolled happily out of his own jaws as he quickly pumped his hindquarters into Amon's maw. Our eyes met, and Aiden offered me what I assumed was an accomplished grin as he watched me pound into the Houndoom's lucky ass. With both of his holes filled, I knew that Amon wouldn't be able to last much longer, even if he had all of the experience in the whole world. Sadly, the only one who wasn't getting their cock pleasured was Kelvin, and I soon thought of an ingenious idea to help out the selfless Flareon. All it needed was some good balance.

While still thrusting powerfully away inside the demonic hound's fiery anus, I lifted one of my bare feet and pushed it down onto Kelvin's waiting crotch. He let out an unexpected yelp as my toes curled around his crimson shaft and my heel rubbed against his tight, fluffy balls. Since it was my first time doing something as wild as that, I probably wasn't as gentle as I could've been, but the horny Flareon seemed to appreciate it as he grinded his bouncing dick against the space between my toes. My other leg was starting to cramp, but it was worth hearing the Eeveelution's muffled groans and cries as he slobbered over Amon's hot rocket.

This was enough to send the aged Houndoom into fevered orgasm, as his asshole suddenly convulsed and squeezed against me. I buried myself to the hilt inside of him and let his inner walls harshly massage my sensitive cockhead, until I felt a familiar, urgent need that almost made me completely keel over. Narrowly avoiding stamping onto Kelvin's delicate ballsack, I seized and bent over the cumming Houndoom. Aiden took the opportunity to lick excitedly at my face, his slippery tongue lapping at my nose and lips as I blew my load inside Amon. Without thinking, I opened my mouth to groan in bliss, but was silenced by the Growlithe's exploratory snout. We shared a sloppy kiss as Aiden's heated saliva trailed down my chin.

Everybody soon fell apart into a sweltering pile of skin, fur and semen. Kelvin's entire face had been naughtily coated with ropes of thick, white cum even though he could have easily swallowed Amon's seed. I imagined he enjoyed the thrill of feeling it cool on his hot coat. With a breathy laugh, he licked some of the fluid away from his lips and sprawled across the freshly-cut grass. I was so lightheaded from the heavy climax that I barely noticed Amon licking at my own ejaculate which began to ooze slowly from his raw tailhole, or that Aiden seemed ready for more fun and was sticking his snout between the hole and Amon's tongue. Hannah wasn't kidding when she said they had all been dying to impress me with their skill.

That clouded thought made me realise that I hadn't been paying attention to what she had been doing with Tyson, the monstrous mutt. Leaning over a frisky Kelvin, I soon discovered that the Arcanine had barely managed to push the tip of his gigantic penis inside of her pussy. From the look of the drowned grass, he had been licking at her rear for quite a while to make it lubricated enough, but it still looked like it'd be painful for her. Instead, when I squinted my eyes to get a better look at Hannah's face, her eyes were wild with unadulterated pleasure as she tried to push herself further down onto the dog's arm-thick pole. I sighed heavily. I couldn't deny it was insanely fucking hot, but how did she manage to stay so tight as well? A mystery that men would never understand. I was just glad she was having fun after today.

"For someone so new to our kinky little ranch, you sure give a pretty enthusiastic footjob!" Kelvin complimented, nuzzling his cum-soaked face into my bare, hairless chest and giving me a few thankful licks. Even though I had just ejaculated, I couldn't help but feel myself harden slightly under his rough, forceful tongue. "There must be some way to repay you…"

"Hannah will probably be disappointed in me if I leave without one of you mounting me," I sighed in anticipation, scratching at the handsome Flareon's dense, yellow mane. His spiked ears twitched with happiness and arousal as I gave him a thorough petting. Fire types really were amazing, as a comfortable hotness spread its way through my arm and made me giddy. Everything about them was just so pleasant and enticing. "Does that sound alright to you?"

Apparently, it sounded alright enough to a horny Kelvin that he didn't need to offer a reply, and I soon found myself being pushed harshly onto my shaking hands and knees amidst the short, sharp blades of grass. Aiden was already humping away at a demanding Amon, so I didn't need to worry about any sudden interruptions. I was still somewhat unsettled by the feeling of being so vulnerable and exposed as I raised my ass high into the air, facing the shining moon. Although, I couldn't deny it added to the thrill and utter depravity of the night. My prior experience with Julian made me feel less nervous, but the bulbous cock of a canine Pokémon was a far cry from his humanoid one. I had some time to fantasise about just how different it would feel as the Flareon gave my tight hole an introductory sniff. Even his nose felt roasting as it tried to push its way inside me. Kelvin seemed enamoured by new scents. My face reddened as he continued to rapidly press his loud snout against my exposed anus. This was just their way of saying 'hello'… but it was like he was having a full conversation.

Eventually, he even decided to acquaint his curious tongue with my ass too. I shivered at the wonderful, ticklish sensation of the slippery, sweltering muscle massaging against the delicate flesh between my sweaty cheeks. I leaned backwards onto his lapping maw, his fangs scraping gently at my reddened skin as he kissed and suckled on my relaxing, moist asshole. Honestly, I wished that I could kneel there forever, with Kelvin exploring my wanting flesh. Every so often, he would try his hardest to slide his sensitive tongue inside of me to discover just what I tasted like, and it seemed to drive him wild. He groaned and puffed out a plume of frustrated smoke from his nostrils as his tongue couldn't reach any further. Although it made me feel kind of slutty, I reached backwards and pulled my asscheeks further apart, spreading my hole even wider for him to sink his face into. Finally, he got what he was looking for and feverishly ate me out, making my neglected dick throb in response. I was ready for him now.

I heard him take a final, lengthy inhale that vibrated against my skin, and then… nothing else. Concerned, I twisted my neck to see what he was doing, only to find him preparing to jump and align himself with my opening for penetration. I only had a few seconds to grit my teeth before I felt his pointed, burning erection press into my wet hole and his furry legs splay onto my unsteady lower back. Instantly, the rest of his weight fell upon me and his entire, hot cock was shoved inside of my hungry ass. I suppressed a pleasured whine as his body threatened to push me down onto my stomach, and was soon sorely ravaged as he unleashed a surprisingly powerful slew of thrusts. His back legs slammed into my thighs as he pumped away with the reckless type of abandon that could only come from a canine. Before I could steady myself, the next thrust would slam into me and send his member stabbing against the walls of my ass. Raunchy squelches and other noises were muffled by his fur as my novice hole was invaded. I had to bite my lip until I could taste blood to silence myself. This was much more painful than my time with Julian. Kelvin's cock felt like it was burning me. And it was wonderful.

In a rare moment of clarity, I glanced over to Hannah and witnessed her in a similar state. Tyson had managed to somehow push the majority of his massive dick inside of her and was letting loose a serious of dominant howls as he stretched my girlfriend to her absolute limit. She was rapidly massaging her clit and seemed to already be wracked by orgasms by the look of her convulsing legs. Her face was entirely unresponsive, her mouth hanging totally agape. That was all I had a chance to watch before a particularly violent thrust from Kelvin made me reflexively clench around his red rocket. I winced from the incredible pain, but the Flareon either didn't notice or didn't care. In fact, he was probably enjoying the tightness as my asshole attempted to reflexively constrict the rod that was destroying it from the inside. My cock remained hard throughout it all, and I hadn't even noticed that one of my hands had wrapped around the shaft and was deftly tugging on it. Nothing even made sense anymore. The intense heat was making me go crazy. It felt like a raging fire had been started inside me. Everything became frighteningly sensitive, as each brush of Kelvin's luscious fur across my skin set the nerves on my back aflame. My body was wracked with violent shivers, and it took all my resolve not to collapse into an incoherent mess under the Flareon's heaviness.

"Fuck, Alex… your ass is so tight," Kelvin moaned adorably, although his words barely made sense to my primal, preoccupied mind. His pace began to slow considerably as he revelled in the irregular massage he was receiving. "I think I'm gonna cum soon… okay?"

"Yes!" was all that I cried into the dark night, struggling to form any more coherent words. Right now, I didn't give a fuck if I woke up the entire ranch. All I wanted was to feel the canine's bulbous knot force its way inside of me. I wanted it to be painful. I wanted to bleed. "Please, just do it!"

Because of the sudden, frantic increase in the Flareon's powerful thrusting, I barely noticed another fiery presence paw its way in front of my contorted, sticky face before it was too late. My drooling mouth had already been pushed open in total bliss with Kelvins' envigored stimulation, and a certain, rude little Growlithe decided that it was the best place to shove his deflating dick, which had just unleashed a torrent of cum into Amon's hole seconds earlier. Exactly like before, his claws found their way onto a pair of distracted shoulders, and I suddenly got a warm mouthful of doggy cock. I heard Aiden panting furiously as he forced me to clean off the taste of semen, musk and ass with my tongue. I couldn't help but gag and groan as the beastly scent stuck in my nostrils, but I still let him rub his cock where he liked. It was even harder catch a breath of fresh air when my face was stuck between a dirty Growlithe's legs and he was pushing himself down my throat. Although, honestly, I would've been completely content to breathe nothing but this strong, meaty scent for the rest of my life.

Not to be outperformed, I soon felt Kelvin's entire body spasm and seize. This was the end. An incredibly potent pressured slammed against my unwilling opening, threatening to tear the sensitive muscle apart unless it widened to accommodate the insane girth. I choked out a faint scream around Aiden's salty shaft as the Flareon's knot popped inside of my asshole. Swirls of throbbing pain made my vision lose focus and darken as Kelvin unloaded a copious amount of boiling seed deep inside my guts. The only thing keeping me lucid was the feeling of heated cum flowing around my stomach. I could actually feel it pour inside of me as the excruciating knot ensured not a single droplet was wasted. Such a feeling ushered forth a weak dribble of my own semen from the tip of my cock, even though both my hands were tearing up fistfuls of grass to endure the pain. Kelvin let out a primal howl as he bucked his wide hips, sliding the knot further into my destroyed anus. I felt his balls pulse against me. And then, another astounding load of warm liquid shot against my weak, clenching walls. Just how much could one canine Pokémon unleash? I started to feel it slosh around in me.

Even though everyone had stopped moaning and writhing, I still had a massive cock inside my ass and a smaller, dirty one inside my mouth. I wanted so badly to push Kelvin out, but no matter how hard I tried, his bulge didn't move a single inch. Even though it couldn't have actually been that large, it felt like someone had fisted me with a boxing glove that had been fucking lit on fire. My tired body wanted to reject the bucketloads of cum he had deposited into my small stomach, but the feeling of being so bloated brought me immense satisfaction. Especially since it was so unbearably warm. I pushed down on my belly with a weak palm, only to have the hard, burning skin push back. I wondered how noticeable the bump was. Kelvin bayed and whined for a while before falling limp and silent, energy totally expended.

Finally, Aiden felt that he had been sufficiently serviced and dismounted my face. His rocket was already retreating back into its hidden sheath, a trail of old cum and saliva connecting it to the tongue which still held the bitter taste of Amon's insides. I felt like a real bitch in heat. With the excruciating wait for the comatose Flareon's knot to deflate, I faintly tilted my head over to watch Hannah finish with Tyson. The Arcanine's knot looked like how Kelvin's felt. It was easily the size of a tennis-ball, and was being harshly rammed inside of my girlfriend's quivering pussy. Hannah was screaming bloody murder, but her lips were pulled up in an uncontrollable smile as she squirmed around on the grass, staining her skin a light green. Tyson produced a full-on Flamethrower from his muzzle, spewing a spire of flames high into the cloudy sky. Even while he was knotted, he was thrusting away balls-deep inside of her. Clearly, I had a lot to learn if Kelvin's knot was enough to almost reduce me to painful tears. And, the scary thing was, I couldn't wait to get started on the lessons. Although, maybe it would be best to wait until my poor ass healed up a little first. It was already starting to ache.

Just as I started to get my bearings again, Amon prowled over to me with an evil, sadistic grin as he witnessed Kelvin still connected to my backside. His look was already unsettling me in my vulnerable state, but that soon grew into panic as he turned around and presented his ass. His hole definitely wasn't as tight as it was earlier in the night, still sodden with fluids, slivers of his red flesh peeking out from behind the black, furry muscle. I was about to wearily ask him why he was wiggling his old, ruined butt in my face, before he began to walk backwards. With nowhere left to crawl away towards, all I could do was watch in semi-aroused horror as he soon pressed his asshole against my lips. He probably saw that I cleaned off Aiden's cock and wanted in on the action. Once again, my tongue was coated in the raunchy bitterness as I was far too exasperated to resist. His hole was definitely the warmest, as the stench stifled my face and burned away the air in my lungs. But, like the good dog I was, I happily complied. That awful feeling of doom and dread which had plagued me earlier was now replaced with a new feeling of desire and depravity. Like it should be. Burning. Encompassing. Suffocating.

"Thank you, Alex!" was the very last thing I remembered hearing from the young Growlithe before I delved headfirst into the Houndoom's rear. At least he had remembered his manners.


	15. Snake in the Grass

After the tense, mind-altering debacle at the lodge with Thomas and Hannah on that fateful Sunday evening, my life actually returned to normal with an unusual, astounding swiftness. Well, it was pretty much impossible to call anything that happened at the ranch normal, but that was just the insane reality that I found myself trapped in. The dull ache in my rear was a constant reminder of the dangerous lifestyle I had chosen. Every so often, between shifts of talking with Pokémon only to fuck them shortly afterwards, I would reflect on how much of a lucky bastard I had been to secure a job at this idyllic paradise. What had started as a random phone-call with a stranger had now turned into an entirely better existence where I finally felt like I belonged, no matter how bizarre it seemed. Even if the lofty dreams of my boss had caused a lot of grief, I couldn't help but admire this haven that he had carved out for people who shared his ideals. None of this would have been possible if Thomas had never wanted to become a high-quality breeder. I wouldn't have encountered Wren and Eloise, or fallen in smitten love with Hannah, or even had to suffer through Julian's jokes. Originally, I had been spiteful at my own inability to get a proper job or have a healthy social life, but now I was preoccupied with the idea that everyone I once knew was struggling away at jobs they hated, while I was getting paid an exorbitant amount of money to get my dick wet. The ranch had a sordid past that everyone tried to avoid, sure. But Thomas was entirely devoted to making it even better, despite the sour history. I thought back to his passionate 'gym leader' speech, and just how much he believed in the skills of his employees. We were all meant to be here.

The man's history with Hannah with was clearly an issue, but he was mature enough to act as if nothing awkward happened in the lodge once he arrived the next day for a progress update. After giving us the regular spiel of working our hardest, he mouthed a sincere "sorry" in my direction before he left again. Like Hannah said before, he was learning to cope with things. Since I was a pretty empathetic person, I felt bad that Thomas had to keep working alongside a person that he obviously still carried feelings for, even if they weren't romantic any longer. These feelings had to gnaw at your mental health eventually, which explained all the therapy. Brandon and Katie didn't seem to realise anything had happened between us three, but Julian definitely knew due to his omniscience. I trusted him to remain silent unless it was necessary.

Apparently, Thomas would be away to do some recruiting for a while, though I saw it more as needing to escape from his feelings. He explained that the ranch had always been in dire need of more workers, but he wanted to ensure that place wasn't going to suddenly collapse before he hired any more people. Luckily, I had been the first of these new employees, but he was still looking for more to handle the ranch's growth. I wouldn't be the new guy for long. Honestly, it was amazing that the business had survived its rocky opening with such a small amount of people at forefront. Even with the assistance of some Pokémon, it was still insane. Hannah seemed to be working herself to death, so having more qualified workers should hopefully ease the stress of everyone here. Even though his methods were still a vague secret, Thomas had an extreme knack for picking awesome employees. I hoped the streak continued.

Before I even realised it, a few more days passed by at the ranch without any major incidents. Now that I had mostly settled into my role as counsellor, I started to feel like a real part of the working squad. I would usually stay the night at the lodge with Hannah, so I wouldn't have to return home and potentially reveal my trainer status to Lawrence. Once I had stealthily seized a couple outfits, there wasn't much reason to retreat back to the house anymore. He had only sent me a single text confirming that I hadn't died in a ditch somewhere and seemed content. Thank Arceus he was too focused on working to care about me. Eventually, I would tell him about Eloise and Wren. Just not right now. I wanted to relax for a while after the exhausting whirlwind that was the past week. Was there anything wrong with desiring peace and quiet?

Speaking of the team, they were really flourishing here! Eloise would stay behind in the back garden and fight with anyone who was willing to deal with her energy, and Wren would join me for lengthy strolls around the forest where we would discuss anything on his rapid mind. Already, I noticed a huge difference in the way he carried himself. He was far less anxious and high-strung, often able to laugh along with everyone without too much extra difficulty. He even requested to spend some time with Oleander, and the two would often hide away in Hannah's dark bedroom and watch one of her old movies. Once it finished, they have quite a poignant discussion about its themes and direction. For someone who had been hidden away, he seemed to understand complex messages effortlessly. Word quickly spread around the talkative ranch, causing some more of the smarter Pokémon to join, and they would host viewing parties that would sometimes turn into orgies. The sheltered Sneasel couldn't have looked happier to find others who shared his desire to experience new stories and sensations. So, everything around here was going great. I was staying at the lodge mostly for my team.

"What're you smiling about?" Brandon asked curiously while we changed into our stained work uniforms. We had made a habit of getting ready together, since he was usually the first one to arrive at the lodge ahead of Katie and Julian. He had already finished fastening his green dungarees, while I was still staring blankly at the tattered jeans clutched in my hands. "It's weird to see someone else as upbeat as me in the mornings. Did something happen?"

"I'm just thinking about how well things have turned out for me," I replied warmly, still lost in the unfamiliar, serene sea of positive thoughts. Flawlessly, I tugged upwards on the zipper of the bleached denim to bring myself back to reality. I could've sworn these jeans used to be much tighter. Maybe all the relentless sex and walking around was making me even skinnier. "If Thomas hadn't seen my flyer in the Mart, I'd still be alone in my bedroom, trying not to look at Facebook because everyone had a better life than me. That, or furiously jerking off."

"Yeah, the feeling of gratitude never really goes away," Brandon chuckled softly with an awkward smile, running a massive hand through the dense, curly carpet sitting atop his head. Such a cute, curly hairstyle really didn't belong on his burly body. "Before he reached out, I was in a similar, depressing boat, just without the masturbation. A few years ago, I'd returned to Hoenn after living with my parents in Unova and couldn't find any work. Being good at carpentry totally sucks when nothing needs building or fixing. I'd still be busking for spare change on a Slateport beach if Thomas hadn't stopped to listen. Now I maintain the ranch!"

He must have had a rough time, travelling alone to a region without any parental support. Like always, I couldn't help but wonder what his reasons were. Unova did have its problems, but generally, it was a much more exciting place to live in, with tonnes of glitz and glamour. Also, business opportunities were abundant in every city. My wonderful mother had totally abandoned her two children to work at a tech company, after all. There was something about the region that seemed to attract people, so it was shocking that Brandon had left that behind.

"Busking, really?" I repeated, trying to conceal my concern and surprise about his past life. Brandon didn't seem like the type who could work an instrument, let alone perform in public. "Actually, I've always been jealous of people who are good with music. What do you play?"

"Acoustic guitar mostly," he replied with a faint, bashful smirk. He adjusted his thick glasses while dropping his alarmed gaze to the messy floor. He did a terrible job of hiding the blush, but it was endearing all the same. "I learned the violin too, but I haven't practiced it in years."

"I'd love to hear a song sometime," I remarked, feeling a sudden, tell-tale warmth spread its way through my own cheeks. His deep, velvety voice was already melodious enough, so I could barely imagine what it sounded like to music. His attraction to me had been obvious for a while, and being serenaded under the moonlight would likely be something I'd never forget. Even though I had barely started working here, the ranch had boosted my confidence tenfold.

"Really? Well, maybe we could make a proper trip out of it," Brandon suggested, a nervous cadence arising in his manly tones that I had never heard before. He fidgeted with a frayed button on his suspenders and was very interested in his own boots. He was such a gentle soul. "My truck gets back from the shop soon, so I could drive us to one of those wild Pokémon hideouts that I was telling you about the other day. There's a beautiful glade close to Fortree that's actually a sweet camping site. I'll bring some ambrosia, a tent and my guitar. You in?"

Was Brandon actually asking me out on a date? The lovable way his rugged, spade-like hands trembled as they clutched onto his suspenders like it was a bungee cord made it clear that he was being entirely serious. If anything, he should be commended on his intense courage to be so honest in the face of a potentially awkward rejection. However, this was far from a normal working environment where office courtships were discouraged and mercilessly stamped out. This was a poképhilia ranch where all of its workers engaged in casual sex all the time, even if it impeded their work schedule. If Brandon really wanted a quick fling with me, then all he needed to do was guide me to a bed and ask nicely. But, he was going out of his way to plan something pretty complex and romantic for my sake. Such a flattering gesture was rare here.

"Uh… well, I've never really went camping before, so I wouldn't really know what to do…" I admitted, unsure as to why that statement brought me so much embarrassment. There were a lot of things that I had never done. Maybe it was because Brandon looked like he had spent years hiking in the great outdoors, while the most I had ever managed was falling asleep with the window still left open. "Will that be okay?"

"Don't worry, me and the boys will show you the ropes," he reassured, gesturing to the trio of Pokéballs clipped onto his heavy toolbelt with a shining grin. The metal paint on the spheres had faded with time, replaced with layers of old dirt. The fact that an Emolga knew how to build a tent while I was clueless didn't make me feel any better. "You'll love it, I promise!"

"Love what, exactly?" I teased, replacing the hesitant frown with a more confident smirk, attempting to channel Hannah's wit and sultry smarm to the absolute best of my ability. Watching people squirm and blush from just a couple suggestive words was frighteningly enjoyable, and I was starting to understand why she joked around so skilfully all the time. "The scenery, your singing, or your sexual prowess? Because I'm sure all three are amazing."

"Oh, you have no idea," Brandon growled, reacting surprisingly well to my copycat teasing. Strangely, I saw subtle flashes of something scary deep in gaze. Like lighting, a mysterious, imposing ferocity shone through his chocolate-brown eyes before it was gone in an instant. His smile adopted a new, more sinister meaning. His features sharpened to be more amorous. "You're playing with fire right now, Alex. That inexperience just makes it more fun for me."

"Okay, should I start being more worried?" I asked with a disbelieving chuckle, unable to handle the ominous words emerging from his happy smile, even if it was tinged with malice. Why was everyone here so damn complicated now? Much like the many Pokémon that lived on this delightful ranch, it seemed like the human workers were just as unique, if not more so. "You're not actually some kind of serial killer who's gonna bury me out in the woods, right?"

"Let's just say that you're very brave to have accepted my offer," he hinted annoyingly, bending down to clasp at my slim shoulder with his firm, muscled hand. Ever since the topic of sex had been raised, they had stopped trembling. His shyness from earlier had dissipated. Even with my psychology skills, I had no idea what the fuck that meant. "See you at lunch!"

And then he vanished. I was left staring at the swinging door to the lodge's living room in a state of mild confusion, still processing the conversation with the cheerful worker in silence. Ever since the orgy at Katie's apartment, I had started to notice fleeting cracks in Brandon's happy mask, like he was trying to hold back some kind of fierce, ravenous beast at all times. Despite the worrisome implications, there wasn't much time to dwell on my possible murder, since my shift would be starting in a couple minutes. Even though nobody would get annoyed at me for making my rounds slightly late, I wanted to continue with a simple routine that even the younger, less intelligent Pokémon could follow. Part of a counsellor's role was to be easily approachable, so my usual anxious tarrying wasn't an option anymore. Even if a lot of the comforting was physical and kinky, I still had to be professional if I wanted to stay here.

Locking away the conflicting thoughts of Brandon deep in my mind, I stumbled into my muddy work boots and shouldered my way through the squeaky door, intent on reaching even more ranch residents today. Careful not to track any dirt across the lodge's rustic floorcloth, I seized a final opportunity to inspect the slumbering figures inside of Hannah's dark bedroom. The pink, tattooed goddess herself was missing from the furry pile, likely having crawled into the shower in the time it had taken for me to get dressed. Eloise and Baxter were basically sleeping on top of each other, as the lustrous chinchilla pressed his face further into one of her white, cloudy wings and tightened his dreamful grasp. Wren had curled up above one of the disused pillows, but apparently provided a comfortable, chilly breeze for other Pokémon. Oleander and Apollo were strewn across the bed nearby, both enjoying the frigid atmosphere. The relaxed Grovyle must have realised that staying next to Wren was cooler than sleeping alone on the carpeted floor. Everyone steered clear of Victoria and her incredible warmth. Since staying a few nights in the bedroom, I fully understood just how sweltering the bed became with so many living bodies, especially those who were clad in dense, trapping fur. Hannah should really invest in an industrial air conditioner. It would improve her sleep a lot.

A wholesome smile spread across my face as I observed the horde of calm, snoozing friends. Normally, most of them would have awakened by now, with the huge exception of Chief, but everyone must have been tuckered out after the unspeakable, decadent events of last night. One advantage of sleeping so closely together was that sexy situations would naturally arise, especially when both humans had no choice but to sleep naked. Truly, it felt like a paradise. Deciding not to disturb them all any longer, I ducked out of the peaceful bedroom after a reminiscent chuckle. Seeing them all healthy and happy motivated me to work much harder.

Starting right on time was evidently the correct decision, since I suddenly bumped into my first client of the day after only taking a few steps outside of the lodge. A demure Lilligant was standing beside to the wooden staircase, leaning a lengthy, leafy forearm onto the scarred banister for some support. She bowed her head gracefully at the sight of me and patted globs of pollen away from her light-green dress as I quickly descended down the rickety platform. My nostrils were already getting caressed by the pleasant, refreshing scent of oranges which flowed from her scarlet, flowery hat. Despite her serene appearance, she displayed a worried, urgent expression that put me on edge. Seeing such an intense look around the tranquil ranch was never a good sign, so I took a deep breath and politely motioned for the womanly plant to begin speaking. Most of her species were careful, shying away from contact with humans.

"Mr. Campbell, I'm terribly sorry for bothering you so early in the morning, but…" she rued, offering a royal, respectful curtsy that would have belonged more on a woman of high status. Her placid voice was just as pleasing as her scent. "I'm afraid that an issue has arisen within my circle that requires your attention. I do not wish for the situation to escalate any further than it already has, so would you kindly follow me?"

"Uh, sure… just, lead the way, I guess…" I replied sluggishly after an uncomfortable pause, taken aback by her verbosity and thoroughly confused as to what she meant by the 'circle'. Her crisp beauty was still enchanting, but heavily overshadowed by the worrying atmosphere. This meeting would likely not have the happy ending I had come to expect from this ranch. Such a shame, since morning sex was so pleasant. "And Alex is just fine, if you don't mind."

"Very well," the Lilligant nodded, prompting her head-flower to exude a fine, orange mist that made me feel more at ease. "With any luck, she will still be preoccupied. Let us go."

Although the situation seemed to be urgent and of the utmost importance, the lovely Lilligant traipsed leisurely along the winding, dusty pathways like it was a lazy stroll through the park. To even move around, she had to raise the petalled hem of her dress to expose the very bottoms of her yellow, herbaceous legs, which further slowed down her maidenly pace. All she needed was a pink, frilled parasol and she would be the spitting image of a princess. Eventually, after what felt like hours of guiding her through thorny bushes and watching with impatience as she waved at every Pokémon that we passed, we encountered the archway near the main entrance to the ranch. Already, I could discern that something wasn't exactly right. There were various, distinct footprints pressed into the dirt, as if many diverse species had trudged across this tight area just recently. Twigs on the gnarled archway had been snapped, and grass had been crushed harshly underfoot. Feeling like a detective, I crouched down and grasped at what looked to be a discarded scrap of fur. Fluffy and yellow, with no real scent. Sensing my unease, the fragrant Lilligant cleared her throat and played with her dress again.

"The escapades of my understudy usually draw a crowd, but this is the largest we have seen for the entire summer," she admitted, pointing with a lean appendage to a massive gathering of colourful figures towards the southern fence. Despite the considerable distance, I could tell that they were crowded around in a huge oval, hooting and hollering about something crazy. Honestly, it was intimidating to witness. "She has been emboldened by all of the attention."

"Understudy?" I questioned, heartbeat rapidly rising in response to the deafening commotion. It was easily the most Pokémon I had ever seen in one place before. "Who do you mean?"

"A devious, young Snivy who enjoys toying with others," she replied proudly, a fond smile appearing from the blank space below her amber eyes. Oddly, it reminded me of Brandon's primal smirk from earlier. Was everyone at this ranch hiding some devilish, lusty dark side? "Come along now, you will soon understand once you discover some of her handiwork."

* * *

It didn't take very long before we stumbled across the source of all the commotion. I tore an urgent pathway through the crowd of restless Pokémon, just in case something serious had happened during the Lilligant's absence. The princess herself grasped onto my hand and muttered all sorts of apologies as we fought through the thrumming group of residents. An intimidating Krookodile was barking all kinds of lewd encouragement, while a sensitive Clefable plugged her ears. Was the entire ranch all gathered together here? Eventually managing to slip past the rear of a whistling Raichu, a perplexing scene was revealed to me at the centre of the clearing. I couldn't even tell what I was looking at for a good minute or two. Strange, dark-green ropes were strewn across the area, wriggling and tightening against a motionless figure pressed into the ground. The tangled ball of vines trailed back to the exposed collar of a tiny, prideful Snivy. The haughty snake was standing with one foot resting on an unidentifiable head of blue and black fur. It was nearly like a crime scene.

"Alright, just… stop whatever the hell you're doing!" I called, steeling my untrained voice to sound a lot more commanding. Somebody had to chip away at this chaos, and most of the residents wouldn't question the authority of human, no matter how misaligned they were.

In response, the Snivy flashed her predatory fangs and retracted the sea of squirming vines to unveil a damp, panting Lucario. It looked to be Rezan, who had previously abandoned the canine orgy on that wild Sunday night. Once the first layer of floral ropes had retreated, I realized that the sweaty jackal was lying on his back, and his limbs had been forced apart. The prisoner mumbled something incoherent, as his snout had been cruelly wrapped shut. His crimson eyes were frantically pointed in my direction. I was stunned by the sight of his waist. Wow, Hannah was right. His cock was absolutely huge. The hard, tapered member was as thick as a baseball bat, and was bouncing obscenely as the Lucario struggled against the vines and their unrelenting grasp. His furry balls were squeezed tightly together, and my curious gaze ran down to watch as vines had drilled into his tailhole, holding it open for all to see. The invading vines had wrapped around each other like a thick arm, and were currently thrusting their way somewhere inside the canine's guts. The Lucario whined, unable to challenge the exploratory appendages as his asshole had been stretched to an insane state.

"Holy shit…" I whispered, my authority quickly dissolving as the lewd scene had left my work jeans feeling sufficiently tighter again. Despite my command, the Snivy continued to violate Rezan with her countless vines. The yellow fur on his belly had been matted with strands of cum, and his yipes told me that he didn't want to continue for any more rounds.

"Excellent work, Lillith!" the Snivy bowed, as if I wasn't even there. The vines protruding from her grassy collar seemed to get faster, prompting another exhausted groan from Rezan. To shut him up, she pressed her foot further into his forehead and whipped a stray vine against his quivering thighs. Some of the gathered Pokémon cheered and roared with glee. "Humans are disappointingly rare members of my audience. From this little boy's tone, I am reminded of why exactly that is. Either way, more eyes on this naughty puppy is wonderful!"

"As you can see… Miss Wisteria has gotten rather out of control," Lillith chuckled primly, amused by the predicament. "I'm afraid she doesn't know when to stop with her services."

For some reason, I wasn't entirely surprised by the introduction of a weird, BDSM cult of grass-type Pokémon who used their vines for all sorts of kinky things. Was this what the Lilligant had meant by their 'circle'? Whatever the case, it seemed to get all the other ranch residents riled up into a horny frenzy. Now that I had a moment to examine the crowd, a lot of them were openly pleasuring themselves at the scene. A muscular Passimian was tugging away at his own respectable cock not too far from me. A Mawile was attempting to hide behind the towering Krookodile, but it was pretty obvious that her hands were plunged deep inside of her beige skirt. Her hair-like mouth was drooling. I was starting to fear that I would become a victim to this pure lust in the air. All these Pokémon would probably rip me apart.

"Clearly," I vaguely replied, still transfixed by Rezan's monstrous dick. It nearly looked fake, like someone had taken one of those novelty dildos and glued it onto the jackal's crotch. I doubted that even Hannah would be able to handle that much. Even still, I had the urge to sit on it, just to see how far the red rocket would travel. "Alright, Wisteria, it seems like the poor guy's had enough. I'm sure there's plenty more here who would love your services, okay?"

"That's Miss Wisteria to you, hireling!" she corrected with an offended scoff, shooting out a pair of vines that wrapped around my wrists with astounding swiftness. I swore and tried to pull myself away from the psychotic Snivy, but was only getting dragged further inwards. "Next time you get my name wrong, it'll be twenty lashes! Do you understand me, pet!?"

"Are you serious?" I laughed nervously, looking down upon the miniature, pouting snake. My pale arms began to ache as she tightened her vines even further. Rezan moaned from somewhere below me. Before I knew it, I was shackled in place. She was… really strong! Why was nobody helping me? Were they just going to stand back and watch this happen?

"Say my name!" she ordered, cracking one of her free vines like a dominatrix's riding crop. Suddenly becoming aware of the potential humiliation of this situation, I gulped softly.

"Miss Wisteria!" I yelped back, trying to ignore the lack of circulation around my restraints. How long had Rezan been withstanding these leathery vines? From the state of his sticky belly, it must have been for multiple orgasms. My duty was to look after the health of the residents, and this Snivy's work was in violation of that. I was prepared to put a stop to this. "Please, what will it take for you to let him leave? It's clear he's not enjoying it anymore!"

"Oh my, you're quite brave to try and bargain with me," she teased, finally removing her heel from the comatose jackal's face. Her perverse vines stopped for a moment, allowing Rezan to crumple into a pleasured heap in the dirt. This was now a sacrifice that I was willing to make. "Who here would love to see this little human take Rezan's place? It'll be my very first time playing with one, so I'll be sure to make it a memorable occasion! Let me hear your support!"

My heartbeat fastened, as a potent arousal flooded through my veins, overshadowing fear. The ranch residents screamed with excitement, and I fought to turn around and see Lillith give me a pitiful smile and fold back into the masses. She fancifully shrugged her leafy arms like she had given up trying to help, after watching me foolishly carve out my own grave. Although, I couldn't blame her. The impatient crowd was so riled up that it would be totally impossible to fight against their wishes. All I could do was sigh, and resign myself to a few minutes of pain and humiliation. I felt my face redden. So many Pokémon were watching…

"Okay, fine!" I cried, allowing her vines to snake their way up my arms. "Just let him go!"

Since I had successfully captured the devilish Snivy's attention, she retracted every single vine that had been holding Rezan. He gasped for air as his muzzle had been finally untied. The very last culprits of the assault were the vines inside of him, which took a long time to dislodge from his innards. The Lucario grit his teeth as they finally popped out of his ass, leaking all kinds of fluid onto the grass. The poor, invaded ring couldn't even close properly as it winked back at me. In a panic, he scrambled unsteadily to his toes. He tried to modestly conceal his massive erection and graciously bowed at me, his exhausted body still shivering. It was quite impressive that he could still stand after that. He wiped embarrassed tears away from his slanted, tired eyes as he patted miserably at the torn, yellow fur on his toned belly.

"Alex… you have a very warm, kind aura," he said in a croaked whisper, staring at every part of my skinny body except the eyes. His uneasy attention would rapidly shift around, like he was a beast entranced by a laser pointer. The black appendages on the back of his head began to rise and vibrate as he examined me. It was common knowledge that his species could see invisible forces that nobody else could. "I was lured in by that Snivy's sexual aura, but it is now obvious that she is using it inappropriately. Be careful. All I can say is… thank you."

After that, the Lucario understandably made his escape. He moved so quickly that it looked like he vanished. I was only able to catch a glimpse of his back speeding away to the forest, with his tail literally between his legs. At least it allowed him to cover up his intense shame. Kelvin had called Rezan too vanilla at the fiery orgy, but I had just found him getting violated by a dominatrix in front of a crowd. Surely he hadn't meant for all of this to happen like that? I wondered if his canine buddies knew about these escapades. It seemed to be up their alleys.

These thoughts were cut short as my jeans were suddenly yanked down to my ankles, dragging my polka-dot boxers partly down with them. Wisteria had snuck her vines around my waist and unbuckled my belt silently. I gasped in surprise as I became all too aware of the countless eyes upon my hairless backside. With my hands tied, I could do nothing else but blush as the vines pulled my boxers the rest of the way. My dick bounced to attention above the Snivy, who looked at it with a mixture of excitement and malice. The crowd gave another round of cheers and tugs as I was soon dragged out of my entire outfit. How many vines did this fucking snake have? She had even managed to untie my boots in a matter of seconds.

"Much more disappointing than the puppy's," she chided, flicking one of her vines at my cockhead to collect a bead of precum. I scowled at her comment, but had to bite my tongue to keep myself from moaning. That was a bad habit of mine. "But… I suppose it'll have to do."

"Can we just get this over with?" I sighed, which was obviously not the right response. Before I could finish my spiteful tirade, a vine whipped me harshly across the ass and sent me buckling towards the ground. I winced at my mistake. That was totally going to leave a mark.

"The only things I want to hear out of your mouth are squeals and agreements," Wisteria ordered, cracking me with another vine for good measure. This one was a lot closer to my exposed balls, and instantly caused me to sober up. Oh… the things I get myself into here. "Now, you're going to kneel over here like a good boy and eat me out. Are we clear, pet?"

"Yes, Miss Wisteria!" I replied, trying to stop my bottom lip from quivering. My status here at the ranch would probably be tarnished from this sacrifice. Just what would happen once word spread around the ranch that a little Snivy had managed to turn me into a little bitch? The crowd were absolutely loving it, chanting my name as I shuffled closer to the tiny snake. I could see full-blown sex parties happening very close to us both. Apparently, I wasn't moving quickly enough for her, as she hauled me across the ground with her powerful vines.

Before I had even reached the forceful Snivy, I caught a whiff of her dripping, nectary pussy. The sweet, intoxicating scent immediately reminded me of Leilana – Katie's cute Bellossom. Ever since I noticed the thick, honey-like juices flow from that hula girl, I had been dreaming of what it tasted like. The smell of the dominatrix's arousal stuck to my nostrils like pollen. Inhaling sharply for a final breath, I shuddered as the saccharine scent sent a surge of pleasure to my needy cock, which she was still neglecting. My mind started to swim away, and I felt crazy. This stuff could rival ambrosia for its kinky properties. Wasting no more time, she shoved my face between her thighs and held it in place with her inescapable ropes.

The moment my tongue was dragged across her puffy lips, an indescribable taste from her ripened sap exploded through my senses. I had grown used to the vaguely coppery notes of human girls, so I paused for the moment to savour the full, sugary fluid. Did the juices of each species have an amazing, unique flavour? Wisteria was exotic, reminiscent of lavender, but also something much warmer and comforting, like caramel. In any case, the taste of her pussy didn't match her sour personality. Suddenly growing content with my place between her legs, I happily lapped at her wet entrance as she oozed more of the nectar into my mouth. Things were starting to get messy, as the overflowing honey slowly trickled down my neck. Still, addled by the pheromonal delight, this just spurred me to hunt for her elusive clitoris. As soon as my prickling tongue pressed at her button, I felt her entire body quake, which she quickly tried to hide by strangling me with her vines. However, my efforts were rewarded with a new trickle of her luxurious liquor. Maybe she was in heat. It'd explain the aggression.

As my tongue began to explore deeper inside of her, she finally graced my throbbing length with a rough vine that spiralled down until it reached the base. I desperately desired the vine to start rubbing at my shaft, but all she did was give it a stifling squeeze, as if to tease me. My hands were clenched into frustrated fists, still locked unforgivingly into place by my side. No matter what I wanted, my job was to pleasure her… and the rest of the horny onlookers. This revelation was made even clearer as a thick vine slapped numbly against my lower back, forcing me to push my rear higher and spread my asscheeks. The cold, morning air tickled against my uncovered skin. I felt the tension which always came with presenting like this. Countless vines were starting to creep their way towards my backdoor, which must have been the source of the entire crowd's attention. The fact that they were witnessing me in such a pitiful position brought me a sick sense of pleasure. It was strange. At one moment, I was aroused by being overly dominant, then in another moment, it was from being submissive. Arceus, I was quite the pervert. Then again, that quality was what made me suitable here.

Interrupted from my constant philosophising, I felt a number of vines rub against my hole, trying to pull it open from every direction. She wasn't going to have that easy of a time. Despite her violent efforts, nothing could penetrate me like that. I held my breath in anticipation, and stopped tasting her flower. I felt one of her wider vines wipe against my ass in frustration. Unlike residents such as the Lucario, I would probably need some assistance before she could ravage me to her heart's content. I couldn't help but smirk into her pussy.

"Stop!" she growled, while stamping her little feet. "Lean back and open your mouth. Now!"

Wanting to avoid another whipping, I quickly did as she ordered, only to feel her vines retreat from my tight hole and make a beeline for my mouth. Once I realised what she was doing and tried to slam my jaw closed, she jammed all the vines carelessly against my throat. I gagged, coating the dirty ropes in a mixture of my own saliva and her viscous juices. Through watery eyes, I noticed that she had plunged some of the other vines into her pussy for good measure. That was one way to give them some lubrication. I coughed and spluttered once they were removed from my mouth, and drooled all over myself. It had ruined the taste of her honey. While glaring at the devilish grass-type and trying to wipe my face on my own shoulder, I was nearly bowled over by the vines which had plunged their way in my ass without warning. Despite all the trouble they were having earlier, the moistened vines slipped past my ring with a wet pop. I groaned in pleasure as the tentacles were already starting to wriggle around. Apparently she was tired of the foreplay. I yelped as more vines pushed me onto my back and wrapped around my airborne ankles, wrenching them apart. The one around my dick pulled upwards like she was trying to rip it off, and my view of the sky was then eclipsed by her tail.

"Alright, enough fucking around," I heard her snarl, as a sticky droplet of her sweetened juice landed on my pursed lips. The vines were delving deep inside me with such force that I was shocked into complete silence. It felt like getting stabbed. All I could do was stare up at her two openings as she squatted over my pained face. "I'm going to give them all a good show."

She planted herself on my face. Although her body itself was almost weightless, she grinded against my lips and nose so vigorously that it was suffocating. I could breathe through my mouth, but then I'd get a throatful of her gloopy, addictive nectar. Or, I could risk my nose that was pressed up against her scaly tailhole. Either way, I was completely enveloped by her. My attention was mostly focused on the growing number of vines that were forcing their way inside me, stretching me wider with each passing second. It was nearly unbearable to feel them all twist and poke around inside me, searching around for ways to drill even deeper. How far could they even reach? Like with Rezan, some remained close to my asshole, pushing walls aside from every angle. It wouldn't be long before my anus looked like his. There was a particular, thin appendage that started to rapidly press my sensitive prostate.

I moaned a breath of hot, sweaty air before her fluids seeped across my tongue. I frantically bucked my hips into the vine that was keeping a stranglehold on my cock, urging her to snake down further and wrap painfully around my large balls. I realised she was trying to keep me from cumming too early and ruining the performance. I whimpered at the torture as she whipped a series of vines across my chest, knocking the precious oxygen out of my lungs. Everything began to float dreamily. Losing sensation in the tips of my restrained fingers, I struggled against my shackles as I felt the invading vines finally break through something and jab excruciatingly at my belly. She pushed herself down further onto my bent nose, until I was entirely cut off from fresh air. She was going way too far! I was going to fucking drown!

As if things couldn't get any more dangerous, I felt Wisteria shudder from atop me as I tried to dislodge my mouth from her vagina. All at once, every single vine wrapped around whatever it could find, and constricted like a vice. Everything went silent, although I knew that I was crying out. My balls were clamped together, and the ropes inside of my rectum all tangled together into a writhing sphere, pounding against my poor prostate like a hammer. Searing pain turned to heavenly pleasure as I felt blasts of semen leave the tip of my cock, splashing all over my thighs and stomach. The Snivy unleashed a similar wave, soaking my entire head in a layer of her nectar. Her butthole clenched around my nose before relaxing. However, this all came too late. The lack of air was pulling consciousness away from me. She was actually going to make me faint from this. I scratched weakly at the nearest vine.

But then, just as I had made peace with such a wonderful death, the pressure around my head ceased and all of her vines stopped trying to crush my innards. As fresh air sliced its way into my lungs, I spasmed uncontrollably once a satisfied Wisteria rolled off of my drenched face. My crude groans were no longer muffled as I bared down, attempting to rid my squirming stomach from the tentacled mass. They still wouldn't budge. I felt about twice as heavy. Coughing out the rest of her tasty nectar from my throat, I tried to wrestle my hands free to wipe her sticky orgasm away from my eyes. I found myself pinned to the moistened grass. The vine tickling my red, sensitive cockhead was starting to seem more like cruel torture, keeping me from softening in her grasp. My balls felt empty already. It was too early for this.

From what little I could hear, the crowd seemed to be in a horny uproar at the sudden lack of action from Wisteria. It was the most powerful orgasm I had ever felt from a girl, so she was obviously left in a daze. When globs of her honey finally slipped away from my irritated eyes, the first thing that I saw was the underside of a lengthy, black penis. The throbbing organ belonged to the Passimian from earlier, who gave me a cheeky, toothed grin as he rapidly massaged his cock. His sweaty, prehensile feet were balanced at either side of my neck, and his knees were bent. It looked like he had gotten very jealous of all the face-sitting. I couldn't even get a word out before he had squatted down more and started to rub his musky ballsack all over my face. His scent overpowered Wisteria's floral juices in an instant. He mischievously slapped his humanoid boner across my forehead, knowing that I had no chance of retaliating even if I wanted to. He began to pump his dick fast enough that I knew what was about to happen. I took another breath and closed my eyes as he shot thick, gooey ropes of cum across my face. He unleashed a loud howl as the final spurt landed on my lips. Afterwards, I glared up at the rude monkey, whose gaze was concealed by a coconut helmet.

This selfish act prompted the finishing crowd to dive onto my defenceless body, still weak from the vines that had pried open my damaged hole. Countless cocks were shoved against my unwilling face, until it had been painted in jizz. Some forced themselves into my mouth, like a particularly brave Axew, who had managed to muscle his way to the front and fiercely hump my face until he deposited a gritty load onto my tongue. Others preferred to stand back and try to aim their shots between the vines in my gaping asshole, like it was a target practice. All I could do was lie back and be used by the crowd, which soon aroused me into a frenzy.

The female members of the crowd soon took notice, and rode my pole until I was fearful that it would snap in two. The Mawile from earlier bounced on my dick reverse-cowgirl, letting her intimidating maw slobber all over my chest and tease at my nipples with its huge tongue. After a lot of encouragement from the crowd, she hiked up her modest skirt, letting everyone watch as her tight labia parted each time she lowered herself onto me. Every so often, another girl would interrupt the boys who were graffitiing my face, and I got to relive my hellish time with Wisteria all over again. A Clefable seemed incredibly weak to getting her asshole licked. I lost count of the ejaculations that they allowed to ooze out of their openings, back onto me.

Eventually, Wisteria came to her senses again, just as the last couple members of the orgy had finished coating me in various fluids. I was totally unrecognisable, covered head to toe. The serpentine dominatrix's eyes were aflame with the desire to witness pain once again, as she finally retracted the vines that had settled into my belly for what must have been hours. My entire body rattled as I moaned at the intense relief, birthing spools upon spools of the lubricated tentacles from my stretched ass. My cock dribbled out the last reserves of semen as the final vine slipped out onto the grass. The Snivy inspected her work with satisfaction, as I lamented over just how empty I felt. The sensation of not being able to clench was… strange. My loose hole ejected the fluids that had managed to make their way inside with a squelch. Wisteria returned all of the appendages back to her grassy collar. I was ready to make a witty comment about how they should be washed first, but the words never came out of my throat.

I felt abused. Circular imprints had been left on my aching wrists from where she had first bound my hands, which were already starting to bruise. I was certain there was an entire wad of cum stuck somewhere up my nose. However, my last feelings of the morning that spiralled out of control were of happiness, as I drifted away into a painful slumber. As I gave up on returning to reality, I remembered that I had been hoping for morning sex earlier in the day.

A regretful Arceus was staring down at me with holy scorn, and all I could do was laugh.

* * *

"Hey – looks like they've finally finished here!" a familiar, regal voice echoed from somewhere deep and unknowable. The figure of a sexy Gallade materialised in my dreams, slicing the fake Arceus in half with his viridian blades. "Wonder how long he's been asleep."

"Ugh… look at him…" another muttered. I felt myself smile warmly. Pink hair and tattoos.

"What should we do?" the first voice asked. Something kicked at my ass. Ow! What the hell?

"Nothing a good power-washing can't fix. You go find a water type. I'll stay here with him."


	16. Toothache

"Guys, is all of this really necessary?"

After a particularly rude awakening from a pink-haired goddess and a snarky, bladed knight, I found myself being forced to straddle a nearby birch tree in nothing but my pale birthday suit. My bare, bruised skin was still coated in a crusted layer of sexual fluids and saliva, and it felt like Wisteria's vines had carved out a bottomless pit somewhere inside of me. I was starting to understand Hannah's proclivity for size in her chosen partners – which actually scared me. Ignoring the lurch inside my stomach, I peered over my shoulder to stare at the Totodile who had prodded me against the nearest surface. The young crocodile's snout was slowly dripping in preparation for the unforgiving torrent of water lying just behind her jagged, uneven teeth. Her ridged, red eyes ignored my gaze and focused on my grass-stained back like a big target. Hannah and Julian were standing at either side of their reptilian weapon, looking very proud.

"Of course it is," my cruel girlfriend scoffed, framing my distant, unclothed figure between her fingers like a trained photographer. I hated that she was a witness to my shameful deeds. "I'm not gonna give you a free pass inside the lodge anymore. So, now that we have our lovely Cascade here, you'll be getting a quick cleanse. Best part is – she doesn't ask for pay!"

"Cas, make sure to get all the hard-to-reach places," Julian commented, pointing vaguely at the spot between my thighs where most of the fluids had accumulated. I did feel really gross, but something about ordering a sentient creature to wash all the unmentionable areas of my body didn't sit right with me. They made it sound like Cascade had done all of this before.

"Oh… yeah, sure," I sighed, holding back a shiver of anticipation. I wondered whether the water would be lukewarm or cold. Either way, it would likely scrub away the grogginess that came from passing out in the middle of nowhere. I had no idea how long I had been asleep. "Let's make this a day full of humiliation, why don't we? My self-respect is gone anyway."

Cascade apparently couldn't comprehend my scathing sarcasm, and must have interpreted it as enthusiastic consent. To my displeasure, she started to waddle closer to me with a smile. With the sudden bulging of her throat as the only warning, all I could do was brace myself. My chest constricted as I sucked a final breath of air between my teeth, before she unleashed a heavy stream of translucent water against my back. The frigid liquid crashed into me like it came from a firehose, immediately knocking me off balance. I slipped across the moist grass, fingers digging into the bark of the tree for dear support. My spine arched under the force of the great tsunami, and my knees were close to buckling. As the Totodile's Water Gun sliced through the layer of dry semen, I could already feel the clumsy numbness caused by the cold.

The impromptu shower fell closer to my thighs, eliciting a surprised yelp that nobody heard. My ass was still raw from the Snivy's vines, and I winced as the powerful stream shot against the stretched, sensitive hole. Was this what a fancy bidet felt like? Those were supposed to be rather pleasant, but this felt like I was trying to withstand one of those water cannons that were used to debilitate rioters. Trying to ignore that my peers were watching, I squatted down and pulled apart my bruised asscheeks to give Cascade easier access to my sullied backdoor, which quickly began to be washed out with icy-cold water. The precise jet focused on my ass began to feel more pleasurable with each passing second. Just another day here at the ranch. A week ago, if you told me that there was a Totodile who enjoyed washing people's privates, I would have told you to go seek mental help. Now? That sort of thing was to be celebrated.

"Okay soldier, time for the front!" Hannah called, her bemused voice barely audible over the sound of water pounding against my delicate flesh. Ribbons of sparkly fluid were launching far above my head, and it wouldn't have surprised me if it had made a lovely, idyllic rainbow. "She knows how to be gentle with your important bits, so there's no need to worry, alright?"

"Whatever," I muttered, through a blockade of chattering teeth. I couldn't help but imagine Thomas giving a tour of the ranch to some new employee, only to stumble across a naked freak getting his balls washed by a Totodile. I snickered at the absurd scenario as I twisted on dirty feet to greet the water-spewing, subservient crocodile. We'd never hear the end of it. "Just hurry before we attract another horny audience. I feel like I'm gonna f-freeze to death."

True to Hannah's word, the Totodile's stream became much gentler as it passed over my inner thighs. Now that I was facing my two co-workers, all I could do was blush and stare at a puddle of murky water forming beneath me. Cascade waddled even closer to my body, and her scaly eyebrows furrowed as she began to concentrate. She was getting a little too close for comfort! Her snout was almost kissing my cockhead. Soon enough, the cold liquid had warmed into something far more pleasant. I exhaled a heavy sigh of relief as the tepid water flowed against my red, exhausted manhood. Why couldn't she have done that from the start?

"Feels nice, doesn't it?" Julian grinned, standing with his viridian fists pressed into his hips. His elbow-blades curved upwards at an angle, giving him a distinctive, imposing silhouette. Despite this, his posture was strangely relaxed. It was nice to see him in such a good mood. "Doesn't beat a proper shower, but her services are useful for dire emergencies like this one. Speaking of that, what the hell have you been up to? Bukkakes like that are rare these days."

"Got too caught up in the moment, I guess…" I admitted, trying to sneeze out the glob of cum that I was sure had lodged itself up my nose. Cascade's water was soothing, but nothing could calm the circular wounds on my wrists. Arceus. I needed proper medical attention, with disinfectants and everything. Wisteria's savagery was totally uncalled for, but she was nowhere to be seen now. That snake was due a psychological evaluation. "Fuck, this hurts…"

"For the future, I wouldn't recommend tackling an orgy alone," the Gallade advised, stalking over to gently examine my damaged arms. His practiced touch was soft and empathetic. Hannah soon joined him, and my naked body was then fawned over by my two colleagues. Suddenly, a jolt of renewed pain shot across my dripping skin as Hannah brushed over a marking left on my asscheek by the Snivy's whips. All of this concern was honestly uplifting. "I would've intervened, but I was rather preoccupied with finishing off the feeding rounds. Listen, I know that being a new worker at this place is exciting and all, but don't get too carried away. Remember that you're just a human, and they're all Pokémon. Rough breeding is commonplace with a lot of our kind, but it isn't with yours. Strength in numbers, etcetera."

"It's partly my fault, for showing you what fun they can be," Hannah said, patting at my tangled hair with an understanding smile. I couldn't handle all of this attention. Not to mention that Cascade was still dutifully cleaning my junk. Privacy didn't exist at all here. "Once we get those scheduled orgies sorted out, hopefully you won't get mobbed again."

"When was I going to be told about the BDSM cult of deceptively-cute grass Pokémon?"

"Yeah, that's more of a 'second month here' kind of thing," Julian joked, stepping away to look over at my battered form with a mixture of pity and astonishment. "More seriously, maybe I should have a meeting with Lillith and get her to tell the circle to chill for a while. For a Type Leader, she gets pushed around a lot. Then again, there's not many candidates."

"What the hell's a Type Leader?" I asked, getting a little tired of all the things going on in the ranch that had been left unexplained to me. Thomas really should have given me a contract or something with all of this information. For running such a flowering business, he wasn't very responsible concerning all of the finer details. Maybe that came from his wealthy upbringing.

"Since it was originally my idea, it's probably best if I explain," Hannah answered, trying not to smirk at my clear irritation. She was still caressing my body despite my occasional winces, wiping away any remnants of crusted semen that Cascade's water had failed to wash away. "While the ranch was still getting put together, I noticed that a lot of the hatchlings gravitated towards older, more experienced Pokémon. While that's usually one of their parents, it's not always the case. So, since it's a natural habit for them to group within their type categories, we decided to elect some of the permanent residents to guide the new, temporary hatchlings. You've already met a couple! Evienne leads the water types, Tyson leads fire, and so on…"

"They're usually the first to know about new rules and stuff," Julian added, shooing away a curious Sentret that was peeking through the tall grass. "If this weekly orgy thing ends up going ahead, they'll probably be first in line. Pretty much all of them are sexual deviants."

"Let me guess…" I began, grimacing. "There's a Passimian among them? Mawile too?"

"Yeah, Peyton and Duette! How did you-" Hannah responded, at first with surprise, but then quickly faltering as the realisation smashed into her. If they would have been first in line for a potential orgy, then exactly who had been the crowd that was going wild at Wisteria's one? "Oh… that's right. Well – I guess you'll be meeting them officially at some point, under some more controlled circumstances. They're not sex-obsessed heathens all of the time!"

With a final spurt of hot water, it seemed like Cascade had finished. She stared up at me with expectant, innocent eyes, looking out of place beside my soaked penis. There was a weird, wordless moment between us both before her jaw snapped shut without warning, dangerously close to my little fella. Trying to hide a mortified shiver, I gave her an uneasy smile and struggled to stand back up to full height. I didn't want my delicates to be that close to a set of sharpened teeth ever again. Stretching my back with a groan, I graciously accepted a towel that Hannah produced out of seemingly nowhere. Maybe Julian teleported it from the aether.

"Thank you, Cassie!" Hannah cooed, giving the young Totodile a wave as she wiggled her stubby arms in excitement. It looked like the unconventional role gave her a sense of purpose. With a final, pleased look back at the three of us, the blue crocodile ran away without ever speaking a single word. "Arceus, she's so cute. Shame that she's too shy to speak at all."

"I'd rather not spoil it, but she wasn't exactly thinking wholesome thoughts as she was cleaning our dear Alex," Julian revealed, clearly taking great satisfaction in displaying his mind powers for the umpteenth time. "I guess that's why she never wants any payments."

"Right, I think I'm fucking done with… today," I sighed. For all of its wonderful benefits, talking about sex all of the time could be exhausting. Everything had some degenerate underpinning at this ranch. Although, I knew that this was just the ramblings of rational Alex. It wouldn't be long before I was longing for a sip of ambrosia and a willing, tight hole again. "I'm gonna get cleaned up properly, and then retreat to bed to lick these wounds in peace."

"Actually, Wren said he wanted to chat with you," Hannah commented, as I limped over to collect my clothes that had narrowly missed a good soaking. At the mention of his name, my heart immediately yearned to cuddle with the shabby Sneasel. It had been very difficult to give him the attention he deserved, mostly due to the ranch. He was a perfect companion to share some solace with. "Pretty sure he's still in my bedroom. You were fast asleep for hours, but he should still be watching movies. I'll be back later once I'm finished with the eggs."

"All in a good day's work, right Alex?" Julian teased, his smarmy grin becoming infectious the longer that I looked at it. "You're lucky that we all work hard to keep the ranch running, while you get to have orgies and shower services whenever you want. I'm green with envy."

"It's not my fault that the only problems which are plaguing the ranch Pokémon right now are related to my sexual performance," I retorted, trying to lock away the guilt that the trickster had intentionally unearthed. I knew that it wasn't fair that Hannah was killing herself tending to all of the eggs while I barely did anything of merit to the progression of the business. "Maybe once I stop becoming a hot topic here, I can actually get some work done. Wisteria seems like quite the unique challenge, so just let me know if you need any help with Lillith."

"Appreciate it," the Gallade bowed. "A psychologist and a mind-reader. Dream team, there. Probably won't be confronting them any time soon, so you're safe to go relax for tonight. Sincerity isn't exactly my style, but please… uh, take it easy. You're human. Remember."

"Yeah, I think I've learned my lesson. Gonna stick to more vanilla stuff for tonight, at least."

"Nice talk, gang," Hannah said, standing up on her tip-toes to plant a loving kiss upon my face. She had just added a lipstick smudge to the list of things I'd have to wash even more. Smitten, I watched blissfully as she descended down the dirt pathway, shooting finger guns back in our direction. "Why don't we all order some takeout later on, okay? We deserve it!"

* * *

After a long, steamy shower, I finally started to feel like myself again. I had basically spent the entire evening under the nozzle, contemplating my feelings of lust as I methodically scrubbed a bar of soap against my bruised skin. My head was still swimming with thoughts of the earlier orgy, and just how much pleasure I had received from Wisteria's sexual torture. Julian's warnings about the dangers of the ranch may not have affected me if I was a braver person, but I soon realised that the Gallade was correct. Her vines could have seriously injured me, since the haughty snake seemed to be unfamiliar with the concept of restraint. Just how far could things go up your butt until they damaged something important, anyway? I shuddered, trying to forget the sensation of pushing out the huge number of slippery vines. Maybe I was my own worst enemy when it came to sex. Maybe I enjoyed it all too much.

As I stepped into Hannah's bedroom, with nothing but a sopping-wet towel draped over my slender shoulders, I let out a sigh of comfort. Wren was the only soul here. The Sneasel had curled up on the massive bed with a distinctly cat-like posture, and was sleeping soundlessly. Watching him like that immediately put my overactive mind at ease. Hannah's television was idling on a selection menu from the movie that he had been watching, with the faint echo of a looping tune being the only source of noise. Basked in the fluorescent light of the screen, Wren looked nearly angelic, and I really didn't want to disturb such a charming moment. Smiling only to myself, I crept over to the pile of clothing next to the dresser and prepared to get dressed into whatever was most comfortable. Everything was wrinkled and dirty, so I would need to make the regretful adventure back to my actual house sooner rather than later. Brandon could use his truck to help me haul more stuff over. I much preferred living here, and I could only put off the conflict of telling Lawrence about my life as a trainer for so long.

Kneeling down to rummage through fabric that smelled of sweat and grass, I soon discovered a suitable pair of sweatpants. Going commando was more of my style on nights like this one. However, once I dredged them up from the floor, I discovered something heavy in the pocket. Athena landed onto my smooth palms. The discarded piece of tech was so cold that I nearly dropped it back down, which surely would have startled the snoozing Wren lying behind me. I had completely forgotten that I had left the Pokédex tucked away inside of there, as it reminded me too much of the sudden conflict with Thomas. Maybe now was a good time to see what this whole thing was about. Some of my old friends had owned a Pokédex, but they would never let me fiddle around with such a coveted device. I absentmindedly let the grey sweatpants slide out of my fingers as I flipped Athena open, tapping at the oil-stained screen. Getting dressed wasn't far up on my list of priorities, since my skin was still highly sensitive.

It seemed like Athena had been left on the **'SCAN'** setting, as a prompt instructing me to point the viewfinder at the desired Pokémon immediately flashed across the bright screen. Carefully, I manoeuvred the Pokédex around, watching the room spin through the camera. The quality of the picture was astounding, even if this really was a much older generation. Without really thinking about what I was doing, I trained the lens on Wren's sleeping body, intending on preserving this cute moment for the future. It could take normal photos, right? Instead, a blue, whirring reticle enveloped the Sneasel, almost like the scope of a sniper rifle. Before I could cancel the scanning process, whole sentences and figures started to appear. Curiosity got the better of me, and I started to read, turning back to face Hannah's dresser.

* * *

_**INITIAL RESULTS OF ANALYSIS. SCAN FURTHER FOR MORE DETAILS.** _

**Shared Characteristics**

**Species:** Sneasel, Sharp Claw Pokémon

 **Type:** Dark, Ice

 **Egg Group:** Field

 **Classification:** Animalia - Chordata - Mammalia – Carnivora – Musteloidea / Feliformia

 **Wild Threat Level:** Dangerous

 **Growth Rate:** Medium-Slow

 **Suggested Diet:** Meat, Cooked Eggs, Berries, Dark Carnivore Pellets, Ice Carnivore Pellets

**Personal Characteristics**

**Nickname:** Wren  
( _Pedigree Name):_ Soaring Winter

 **Sex:** Male

 **Owners:** 'Blackthorn Eggs' - Edgar Wyatt - 'Brooks Breeding Service' - Alex Campbell

 **Parents:** Finch the Sneasel, Robin the Weavile

 **Age:** 5 ½ years | Hatched early in the morning during late-December

 **Height:** 3'2" / 0.9 m

 **Weight:** 42.3 lbs. / 19.1 kg

 **Personality Analysis:** _Eloquent, Introspective, Neurotic, Hesitant, Sensitive_  
\- Seems to be emotionally and socially stunted due to previous mistreatment.  
\- Somehow has gained a high level of intelligence, especially for abstract concepts.  
\- Has a peculiar fixation on language and definitions. Origins for this reason remain unclear.  
\- Holds a large amount of unresolved trauma from time spent in the wild.  
\- Desires safety and patience from others.  
\- Uncommon interest in mating for positive connection. Further examination is required.

 **Physicality Analysis:**  
\- Body is much frailer when compared to other Sneasels, likely due to long periods of stasis.  
\- State of fur is shabby and untamed. Extensive grooming is recommended.  
\- Feather and oval markings are notably dull, suggesting a vitamin deficiency.  
\- Claws are brittle, showing cracks that can only be mended through shedding and regrowth.  
\- Upper left canine tooth has been recently chipped. No need for urgent intervention.  
\- Showing many signs of malnutrition, such as a prominent ribcage and sunken eyes.  
\- Displays issues with regulating body temperature under stress, and has low stamina.

**Combat Capabilities**

**Current Level:** 18

 **Learned Moves:** Scratch, Leer, Taunt, Quick Attack, Metal Claw, _Ice Shard_

 **Ability:** Keen Eye – Resistant to sudden losses of visual accuracy

 **Evolution Requirement:** Cross an experience threshold while holding a Razor Claw during the night

 **Formal Battling Experience:** None

 **Current State:** Mostly recovered from previous injuries, but struggling with long-term issues

* * *

Once the scrolling had stopped, I swallowed down the lump of guilt that had formed in my throat. Even in my wildest dreams, I had never expected that a Pokédex analysis would be so extensive and revealing. The name of Wren's old trainer had been unearthed, as well as just how much his mistreatment had affected him. Didn't this seem like an invasion of privacy? Wren hadn't given his consent for me to learn such sensitive information, but my simple curiosity had ended up cursing me with the knowledge. Well, since regular people couldn't understand most of the Pokémon that they captured, such an analysis would be welcomed. However, for us, it was more like a way to forcibly break through a lot of personal barriers. Now, I felt like I was hiding some kind of secret. Should I tell him what just happened…? There was a possibility that even he was unaware of some details, like his pedigree name. Throughout all of our time spent together, I never guessed that he had a renowned heritage.

Most things, I already knew. From his time in the wild, Wren had been irreversibly changed, and it made me wonder what he would have been like if none of this neglect ever happened. Would he be happier? More in line with the jolly personalities of the other trained Pokémon? Maybe he never would have clung onto his intellect, and developed a normal speech pattern. However, I didn't want any of that to change, as superficially cruel as that thought sounded. Wren was special, and I had been the one to grant him a second chance at a comfortable life. All of this complexity surrounding his situation only made me more protective of the Sneasel.

Therefore, this analysis did have some benefits. I had been complacent in ignoring Wren's shabby state, but seeing it printed in glowing letters made that unavoidable. His appearance wasn't exactly a problem in most respects, but things like his chipped tooth and overgrown claws could impact his health in the future. Not to mention his messy fur. He looked like a walking tumbleweed more often than not. The rest of the ranch workers had to be familiar with groomers who would give makeovers to Pokémon, right? Katie or Hannah could likely direct me to such a place, as Wren would appreciate being returned to a state of normalcy. Nobody wanted to feel like a feral creature. Maybe we could take a spa day or something.

This was just… a lot to process. With a few swipes of my trembling finger, I buried the output of Athena's analysis into the larger database. The dirtiness that I had just spent hours washing away in the shower returned in a stifling wave. I should never have looked at this. There were hundreds of similar summaries for all different types of Pokémon. Some of the information spanned over more than a decade, in the case of Gulliver. Familiar names kept popping into my eyeline, like an extensive, passworded document on Amon's past owners. This went beyond trust. Thomas was totally naïve to entrust me with all of this information. He easily could have returned the Pokédex to factory settings, but it was as if he wanted me to learn all of this information. Psychologists were required to take notes on patients, after all, but this was approaching an ethical disaster. My fears about using Athena weren't irrational.

"Your… backside looks different," whispered a slow, groggy voice. Snapping out from my panicked thinking, I whirled around to face Wren, concealing the sore, naked section of my body that he was alluding to. The wet towel wrapped around my shoulders spiralled onto the carpet with a muffled whirl. The Sneasel stretched from his curled position on the bed, and wiped the back of his claws against his eyes. If he wasn't careful, he could scratch them.

"Wait, what?" was my pitiful attempt at a reply, barely able to understand what he meant. All of my attention was focused on the Pokedex clutched in my hands, as I fumbled to find the button which powered down the device. Letting him see the screen wasn't an option here.

"Back when you displayed yourself to me in the forest," he clarified, still not socially adept to notice that something was clearly off about my behaviour. The Sneasel straightened himself against Hannah's headboard, while carefully pulling the thin blanket across his frigid body. That was the first time I had seen him trying to find warmth in something that wasn't a hug. "Hmmm… I am struggling to find the appropriate words. It appeared… tighter at that point?"

"Oh - right!" I exclaimed, chuckling breathily. I nearly wanted to find a mirror and see if his observation was still correct. The little linguist had wriggled his way inside my heart to such a degree, that everything he said was absolutely captivating. The way that he carefully searched his vocabulary, even in such a casual environment, would never stop being lovable. "Well, that's what happens what I take my job here a little too seriously. I'm sure that it'll go back to how it used to be soon enough. Anyway, sorry if it was me that woke you up, Wren."

"That's quite alright," he said, showing a fanged smile. Now that I had been informed of what to look for, one of his canine teeth was considerably more damaged than the other ones. A jagged, diagonal slice cut its way across the yellowed enamel, causing it to intrude more seriously on his bottom lip. Athena had decided that it wasn't causing him any distress, but I wasn't keen to believe her. How would a tiny machine even know things like that, anyway? "The wonderful shift in your scent was the reason for my sudden rousing, as I have come to enjoy your new aroma after a cleansing. My nose can be quite sensitive to such things, so it is not a result of any personal wrongdoing. I have been curious as to the substance responsible."

"Must be thanks to the strawberry shampoo," I replied, reminded that it was impossible to escape the augmented senses of most Pokémon. Flopping onto the bed, I beckoned the shy Sneasel to scooch closer to my naked body. Maybe one day he would overcome his hesitance for close physical contact, just as I had acclimated to his frigid presence gliding on my skin. For now, I was doing my best to encourage him. "If you like it, maybe we could have a bath in the stuff. What do you think about a haircut as well? All of that fur must be annoying you."

While talking, I tried to run my hands through his chilly coat, only to become tangled in the wiry hairs on his back. Gently, I tried to unwrap myself, only to have Wren shiver in pleasure and lean further into me. It looked like he was enjoying the dutiful grooming, which I could definitely relate to. Whenever Hannah played with my absolute mess of a hairstyle, I would experience the same bliss. Honestly, we were a good match with each other in terms of hair. Maybe I would finally get mine trimmed at the same time. Eventually, once my hands were free and found nowhere else to go, they wrapped around the Sneasel and pulled him closer.

"So long as you would be there, I would like that," Wren murmured, burying his face into my chest so that he didn't need to look me in the eyes. Already, I could feel the bed under me turning into a palace of unbearable ice. Wren's chipped fang brushed harshly against my skin, only adding to the sensation of being submerged in cold water. His tiny nose sniffed closer to my neck in order to catch a whiff of the strawberry scent, and as if by instinct, he licked me.

For the past few days, Wren and I had been getting closer. That sounded a little weird, as I had already sucked him off in the past, but this was a different kind of contact. With each passing night, he would become braver, in exploring the ways he could experience my body. His tongue actually… wasn't cold. As the wet muscle dragged its way across my chest in an affectionate kiss, I tightened my grasp even further. And then, I felt a strange vibration echo between both of us. The feeling was nearly imperceptible, but once a primal, quiet sound left his lips, I realised what he was doing. He was… purring. That caught me entirely off-guard.

"Wren," I whispered, although I had no intentions of continuing the thought. At the sound of my deep, baritone voice, his purring only got louder. I twirled his head-feather between two of my fingers, and noticed that my mind had stopped racing for a moment. All of that shock from the Pokédex's revelations didn't matter for right now. The Sneasel's past life did not define him anymore, not when I was being embraced with such dedication and tenderness.

"Alex, my tooth hurts," Wren simply said, losing some of the refined elegance that his voice usually carried. He sounded innocent, almost infantile, like he had finally allowed his true soul to shine through his words for the first time. Under all of that posturing, there was a child who used complex phrases to sound more mature. I looked down at his troubled face. My wariness of trusting a damn machine over a living being had already been reaffirmed. "But, it starts to feel better when I hug you like this. These moments we share help the pain."

"Is this what you wanted to talk about?" I asked, nudging him gently on the chin so that he would properly look up at me. His beautiful purring continued, despite the reluctance flashing across his sunken, crimson eyes. The icy beginnings of tears crystallised his long eyelashes. The Sneasel always looked so guilty whenever he revealed anything that was bothering him.

"Mhm," he answered, dazing me into silence with his brevity. Usually, his responses were long-winded and proper, so only hearing a simple grunt from the Sneasel was quite a shock. The culprit pierced deeper into the soft flesh, as he uncontrollably chewed on his bottom lip. His tooth looked like a woodsman's saw used for cutting down trees, as it had been cracked at the base, creating a serrated edge. Hanging my neck down, I pressed my forehead into his.

"How long has it been like this?" I continued, dragging one of my hands down his furry back as I closed my eyes. My fingers traced the pathway of his crooked spine. His purring became so loud that it drowned out the noise from the television. While Athena had underestimated the extent of Wren's toothache, she had been correct about the other issues. His skeleton was pronounced in several areas, like his ribcage and hipbones. "The pain in your tooth, I mean."

"Only after Julian subdued me when I broke into the ranch," he admitted, body tensing up as he recalled that stressful day of his rescue. I also couldn't help but shrink away from him when thinking about his old self, bloodied, ravenous and covered in all sorts of forest detritus. His gaze fell to his broken claws. "I have been trying to conceal it ever since that incident."

"It's okay," I consoled, placing both of my hands upon his bony shoulders. He was straddling me now, and I was attempting to ignore the waves of cold air brushing against my bare skin. Julian's Aerial Ace had connected with his jawbone, so it was lucky that he had escaped only with a broken canine. Also, I couldn't judge him for not saying anything until now. He had been through a lot. I brought a careful finger up to poke at his lips. "No need to be worried. Would you let me have a look at it for now? We may have to get it taken care of eventually."

After an embarrassed pause, Wren nodded and opened his mouth wide. Offering reassurance, I flicked on Hannah's bedside lamp with my free hand, and peered into his animalistic maw. Immediately, I was met with a flush of hot, steamy breath. It seemed like his internal regions weren't subjected to the same abrasive coldness as his fur and skin. His gums were a healthy shade of pink, despite the state of his teeth. The delicate tissue was interspersed with vague, blue branches that signified his veins. Witnessing such an intimate sight was indescribable. All I knew that it was making my heart thunder like crazy. Curiously, the surface of his long tongue was white, covered in a series of tiny, cloying barbs. I resisted the urge to touch them.

"I'm just gonna examine your tooth, so give me a tap if it hurts again, okay?" I comforted, trying to dispel the amorous silence. Why was the image of his open mouth so… hypnotic? Actually, I had quite a lot of experience with teeth, as I had endured braces for my teenage years and had thoughts of becoming a dentist when I was younger. Everyone on the planet would experience some kind of problem with their teeth, so I viewed the profession as being just as honourable as a doctor or firefighter. But, this fascinated feeling went far beyond that. My concern for Wren's health stopped me from doing anything to act on these feelings. Yet.

And then… my hands were exploring his mouth. Holding my own breath with enamoured suspense, I ran a trembling thumb carefully across the ridged surface of his broken tooth. Severing a translucent strand of saliva connecting it to his motionless tongue, I noticed that his throat was still subtly vibrating. The purring sound was low and guttural, and was the only indication of his pleasure, since he had closed his eyes. As soon as my fingernail pressed ever so slightly down on the tooth, Wren's knee jerked involuntarily. He prodded at my bare thigh with a frigid claw, wincing in a mixture of discomfort and apology. I petted lovingly at his cheek to reward him for not running away, feeling his whiskers bend underneath my grasp. Focusing my attention back on the main problem, it was obvious that his left canine was the source of all the toothache. The gums enveloping the yellowed tooth looked to be bruised and inflamed, and I felt horrible that he had been keeping quiet about it. Screw Athena – I would need to book Wren an appointment with the nurses in the Pokémon Center, at the very least.

"If your tooth gets worse, I'm sure the ranch has some painkillers that are safe for Pokémon," I informed, idly marvelling at just how sharp some of his other teeth were. I touched the tip of the other upper canine, and watched as it easily indented the smooth skin on my index finger. His status as a predator couldn't be denied. "That's all I can do for right now, but we should be able to get you all fixed up after this weekend. I'm glad that you told me this now, Wren."

I couldn't take my fingers out of his mouth. The longer that I continued to admire his beauty, the wetter and warmer that his maw became. Soon enough, they were slick with more saliva that had started to slide across his barbed tongue. When I finally broke out of my deep trance, I realised that he had dribbled messily onto my chest. I retracted my hands. The Sneasel was breathing lustily, puffs of hot air clearly visible amongst the sparkly mist created by his aura. Our eyes locked once again, as the Sneasel said nothing back to me. We didn't need words. Looking down at the pool of spit cooling on my torso, I found a red, tapered pole lying stiff across my belly. Seeing Wren's erection made me distinctly aware of my own at his back. The infamous, annoying shame about my sexual nature never lasted very long at all, did it?

"Okay, well… maybe I _can_ do something else to help," were the last words out of my lips, before I leaned forwards and locked them against Wren's, mindful of the jagged tooth which started all of this. I certainly hadn't planned on such a thing tonight, but nothing ever went exactly as planned at this ranch. Perhaps it was my newly-discovered fetish for fangs? Expecting hesitance, I was surprised when the Sneasel flung his wiry arms around my shoulders and began to grind at my waist, massaging his arousal across my hairless tummy.

Wren's tongue was like the flame of a candle in a snowstorm. It felt like the only source of warmth inside the freezing room, as I dragged my own tongue across the spiked muscle. Feeling each of the rough barbs grip onto me in sequence made it strangest kiss I had ever experienced, but that definitely added to the thrill surging below my waist. His claws clasped harshly onto the skin of my back, as he soon started to lose himself. My body was so numb, that he could have ripped away huge chunks of flesh, and I would have no way of knowing. As if he was desperately trying to make his toothache disappear, he sunk his fangs into my lips like a thirsty vampire. We rolled backwards onto a set of pillows, as I tried to stifle a satisfied groan. The Sneasel was usually meek and submissive, so once I experienced just how powerful and primal he could be in the bedroom, it made me never want to leave again.

"I cannot contain these feelings any longer," he growled, his throat rumbling with something much greater than a cat's pleasured purring. Athena's personality analysis couldn't have been flawless, as Wren was being anything but hesitant now. Lust seemed to drive him back into that wild state I had witnessed on his first day here. The only difference here, was that we were in a safe environment for him to explore these emotions. "Consummation. I want that."

"Sorry, I'm going to need a definition," I moaned, tempted to lurch back and suck on the Sneasel's barbed tongue. I would need to cling onto any meagre sources of warmth if I was going to survive this encounter without getting frostbite. "You're my dictionary, remember?"

"Making our relationship complete by revelling in the act of sexual intercourse," he clarified, that arousing eloquence finally returning to his voice. Even now, while he was perched on top of me with a hardened member, he could restrain his desire and give me a perfect definition. In most other situations, I would find these habits rather cute. Here? It was the sexiest thing that anyone had ever said to me. Consummation was a word that I would never forget, surely.

"Let's do it then," I said, convinced by his steely gaze. Even though I was still rather spent from the events of this morning, I couldn't deny him. He looked over my prone body with such a strong reverence, it was clear we would be mating for some kind of higher purpose. While most at this ranch viewed sex as something casual between friends, Wren viewed this particular act as the most meaningful display of the bond that we shared. "If you're ready."

Even though my veins were pumping with wonderful passion, I couldn't help but feel that Wren's inexperience might become a problem. However, it seemed like witnessing the wild orgy at Katie's apartment had taught him a few important things about this private process. He wrapped a claw around his adorable cock, and crawled backwards across my still body, until his thighs were pressed into the bed. Impressed, I grabbed the overgrown fur on his scrawny waist and spread my legs out a bit, until they were supporting his lower back. Classic cowgirl. Where had he even seen this position before? I think Katie had rode her Zangoose like this earlier. The Sneasel's willingness to learn all that he could was amazing. Pride washed over me, and I gave him a toothy, pleased grin as he settled himself above me.

"This is satisfactory for my first time, yes?" he breathed, as the heat radiating off of my body was melting the spires of ice that encased his fur. While I had been feeling deathly cold only a couple of minutes earlier, now I was beginning to overheat. Wasn't this what people who were on the verge of hypothermia felt like? The sudden, heavenly warmth was disconcerting. As Wren prepared himself, his moistened coat started to drip all over me, until my lower body was soaked in cooling water. Each droplet ushered forth apprehension and adrenaline.

"It's perfect," I whispered, just knowing that Hannah would be furious that her pristine sheets would be stained with sweat and cum again. Smirking, I pushed my hips gently forwards, trying to sightlessly poke around for my target beneath his soaked fur. Wren's hidden, musky hole nearly went undiscovered, until my sensitive tip brushed against another faint source of warmth. Resting my dick against him, he tightened with surprise. "Since you're on top… you can control the pace of everything, alright? Take all the time that you need once I'm inside."

Although what followed could have been an honest accident, it seemed to me that Wren was finally comfortable enough to allow that wild, self-destructive side to take over him entirely. After stopping for a slow, deliberate moment to savour the feeling of my cockhead pressed against his entrance, he sat down with surprising strength. Painfully, my oiled tip collided with his asshole that remained tightly closed, causing a pressure that made me wince loudly. However, instead of my shaft bending under his weight, it slowly began to push open the Sneasel's hungry ring. Wren took a deep, meditative breath, and I heard a muffled, rippling squelch escape out from under his ass. Then, he started to sink further and further down onto my cock with almost no resistance. As he somehow willed his anus into noisily engulfing its thick intruder, I dug my fingernails into his descending waist. He wasn't as tight as I had reasonably expected him to be, but his insides were soft and hot. It was almost the opposite of how he appeared to be on the outside. Swearing under my breath, I tried to stay still for him.

In almost no time at all, Wren had managed to sit upon my entire length. Although he easily surpassed Eloise in size, it was still impressive that my cock could fit inside his untrained ass. He gave me a shaky exhale, and wriggled with perverted bliss atop me. Since he was now squatting over my waist, I had a wonderful view of his stretched, pink ring kissing at the base of my shaft with each new breath. The Sneasel carefully played with himself, as his sharp claws nudged at the full balls inside his low-hanging sack and coated his prick with precum. Unable to remain motionless anymore, I tested the waters by bouncing him just a single time. He responded with a high-pitched moan, and then placed both of his cold claws on my chest.

Taking the hint that movement both brought us pleasure, Wren pulled his body upwards, ushering another squelch to roll across my dick. The little Sneasel's butthole was certainly loud and greedy, which seemed to greatly embarrass him. His chipped tooth burrowed into his bottom lip, as he started to self-consciously chew on it once more. He eventually stopped moving to quiet the noise, but he was still halfway up my shaft. It looked like he still retained some of that withdrawn modesty, even as he was sloppily riding the manhood of his trainer.

"It's okay, it's just you and me here," I reassured, patting at the Sneasel's backside as my cock throbbed inside of him. Noisy sex was preferable to me, actually. Made it even better. Anyone who got offended by uncontrollable stuff like that didn't deserve any holes at all. "Your body is nothing to be ashamed about, Wren. Confidence is sexy, so go wild, okay?"

Requests and commands were something that the Sneasel couldn't even think about ignoring. After that hiccup, it didn't take very long before he was bravely bouncing on my rod with reckless abandon, forgoing the support from my hips and taking it upon himself to please me. The lodge's soundproofing ensured that all our moans, slaps and squelches could only be shared between the two of us, and nobody else. While the mental list of my sexual encounters got more difficult to keep track of with each passing day, this one was a lot more meaningful. It felt like time had been frozen inside Hannah's secluded bedroom, as the universe itself stopped to accommodate an intimate display between lovers. Blindly, my fingers crawled to find one of Wren's claws that pressed against my beating heart. I wanted to hold his hand.

Since all of Wren's doubts had been easily put to rest, his opening rhythmically slurped on my overused cock, as we finally locked hands. The skin on my palm immediately fused with his glacial claw, which still hadn't melted. I wasn't planning on ever letting go of it, anyway. Hostile shivers stabbed their way across my arm and threatened to pierce my chest as Wren failed to control his temperature. He was too focused on savouring the sensation of my flesh. Meanwhile, his pulsating insides seemed to get even warmer, like a feverish bonfire had been ignited to try and combat the deadly chill. This passionate fire lapped at my spent loins, coaxing out the last dregs of virility I could muster, until the two clashed together and made me writhe under the innocent Sneasel. Cold, sticky sweat poured from my body, mixing with the warm water that had dripped away from Wren's. The knives of contrasting temperature sent me into a frenzy, as I started to buck my delicate rider high into the air with each thrust.

Rational Alex was shouting faintly in the back of my head. He was telling me to slow down and give Wren a chance to regain control of himself. Hating myself through gritted teeth, my grip on the Sneasel's waist softened slightly, although I was still pumping away like a piston. Both of us had aspects of ourselves that we were suppressing, and my desire for release was just as dangerous as Wren's primal nature. Even though ambrosia was entirely absent from my veins, the lovemaking was enough to make it feel like I had just chugged an entire keg of it. Fire and ice swirled above me, as the Sneasel's moaning grew more incoherent and cruder.

One force had to succeed eventually. It was his coldness. The dangerous blizzard that Wren had been trying to hold back all of this time. Barely aware of my actions, I tightened my grasp on Wren's hand and drilled deeper inside of him, uncovering his most base instinct. The moment that the head of my cock rubbed against his prostate, he growled with restrained effort and lurched backwards in an attempt to shield me from the oncoming storm. A strange, resonant sound sputtered to life around me, like the sound of a frozen lake splitting apart from deep below. Before my frantic eyes, each patch of sweat and water around us suddenly solidified in a pulse of white, shrouding mist. An excruciating sear of pain flashed up my arm connected to Wren's claw, as sharp icicles formed into my pale skin. The Sneasel seethed out a panicked apology as he came, firing strand after strand of lukewarm semen across my chest. Immediately, his essence froze just like everything else did, marking me forever as his mate.

Succumbing to the throes of orgasm, his back passage clenched with another moist squelch, reaching the unbearable tightness that I had originally expected from the untrained Sneasel. The vice-like grip of his anus was actually enough to interrupt my delirious thrusts. The rapturous sensation of his narrow rectum milking at my cock was enough to override the pain caused by the ice crystals forming across my body. The combination of both was then twisted by my corrupt mind, and sparked the sudden release of my last reserves of ejaculate. Stupidly seizing back my hand that had stiffly adhered to his claw, Wren tipped forwards and landed face-first onto my chest, as I unleashed my load inside of his ass. My balls were aching, since I wasn't given much of a chance to recharge after the morning orgy. My dick slipped out of his stretched, sticky ring, and slathered his fluffy asscheeks with the remainder of my cum. The Sneasel nibbled instinctively at my frozen skin, suckling until I was left with a lovebite, marred by his broken tooth. I could hear his now-empty butthole gurgling and oozing, but it seemed like he didn't care about noises anymore. Cold semen splattered into my bellybutton, as Wren couldn't hold all of it inside any longer. Listening to it nearly made me hard again.

Thankfully, we hadn't been welded together by all of the frozen moisture. Wren had only lost control of his body temperature for a few, fleeting moments. The ice embedded into my arm started to melt away with the combination of our laboured breaths, leaving only a dull throb. The tips of my fingers freed from his claw had turned a lifeless white, which in the afterglow, didn't elicit the natural feelings of concern. Staring sleepily at what could have been frostbite, I was soon stunned to find them sheltered once again inside a certain someone's warm mouth. Finished with the skin on my chest, Wren started to suck on my fingers, his body quivering like he was on the verge of heatstroke. We both lay there in contemplative silence for a while, the feeling of the Sneasel's barbed tongue scraping across my flesh still keeping me awake.

"I think my fingers are okay," I finally said, trying not to think about all of the cum that was leaking out onto my stomach. Eventually, it would overflow and stain Hannah's bedsheets. Maybe I could carry us both to the shower before that happened. Arceus, us poképhiles spend a lot of time in the shower, don't we? That would be the fourth one today. "You don't need-"

"No – I want to," Wren interrupted, his forcefulness soon shutting me up again. He gave me another apologetic glance after breaking the seal between his mouth and my injured hand, his other claw retreating somewhere behind his tail feathers. I had definitely been far too rough. We would need to find a way to improve his control over his type abilities, since turning into an ice sculpture every time that he orgasmed wasn't ideal. "This is helping to distract me from the ache in my tooth… and now the one in my backside. Currently, it looks like yours."

"At least we match now," I replied, smiling dumbly at his observation. Leaning down to give him a remorseful kiss on the forehead, the Sneasel's purring soon returned to the dark room. For some reason, I imagined that a lot of Pokémon had trouble mating with humans, despite what I had seen at this ranch. For two species that were vastly different, first times would likely never be as easy as first imagined. For someone dealing with a lot of issues, Wren had handled sex with a human pretty well, which gave me hope for our lengthy future together. "But, listen… since we've made a significant mess of ourselves, how about we go get cleaned up before Hannah and the others get back? I'll let you use the strawberry shampoo."

"The use of that substance will just allure me into having a second taste, Alex. Although, I suppose that is not a bad thing. Very well… just allow me to finish off your thumb, please."


	17. Shock and Hawley

Brandon's truck was impressive, in the sense that it managed to function despite looking like it had tumbled through a car compactor. Earlier, when he said that it had just gotten back from a mechanic, I had expected to see a new, sparkling chariot that would be fit for kings. However, I found myself praying for our safety as it took him half an hour to start the engine. Each of the doors had been bashed and mangled in several areas, causing the dark-red paint to flake off and expose the scuffed metal underneath. The exhaust was spewing plumes of smog onto the windshield of the car driving behind us, and the minty air freshener was failing to conceal the scent of burning plastic and cigarette smoke. Brandon didn't strike me as a smoker, so I had no choice but to attribute the smell to an impending explosion. The radio was the only thing that seemed to be working as intended, and even then, interludes of harsh static would cut across the cheesy, saccharine country music. The muscled giant in the seat next to me was leisurely steering with one hand, and dangling the other out of the window.

"So, where's Wren and Eloise?" Brandon asked, leaving us at the whims of the flat highway while he turned down the music. His brown eyes passed over the wingmirror, as he checked on the muddy reflection of Indra in the backseat. The Manectric was hanging out of the truck, as he rested his front paws on the edge of the window. Every time the wind whipped against his blue coat, he panted happily and flecked slobber at all of the passing scenery. It was the first time that I had seen the electric type so animated. He really loved to ride in this pickup.

"Wren's having a movie marathon with Oleander and Apollo. Hannah said that those two planned it to help take Wren's mind off of his toothache," I replied, looking up from the stained Pokédex to focus on the road. Despite feeling guilty about even holding Athena in my hands, it was impossible to stop delving further into its entries and articles. I tried to avoid the ones describing Pokémon that I had already encountered throughout my time at the ranch. Learning more about Wren's past had made me cautious about overstepping such boundaries. "Eloise finally managed to convince Britney to teach her some battling techniques, so she's definitely gonna test them on me tomorrow. I'm glad that they have a place like the ranch, since both of them would probably be bored out of their minds staying over at my bedroom."

"Better than having to smuggle them around Lawrence every day, at least," Brandon noted, making a lazy left turn to take us onto the backroads indicative of Fortree. He had reassured me that his truck could handle the forested pathways leading to the hidden campsite, but still, I kept a tight grip on my seatbelt. "My offer to help you move out of there still stands, okay?"

"Might just cut my losses instead, and abandon all my anime figurines," I sighed, the looming risk of Lawrence finding out about my trainer status ruining the chilled, summer atmosphere. With each passing day, he would be growing more suspicious about my absence. No matter what, he was still my brother who had promised to protect me. "I don't wanna force you into a hellish day of carrying boxes around, and the lodge has all that I would ever need, anyway."

"I cleared out the back of the truck when the engine was getting fixed, so there's plenty of space to move all of your nerdy stuff," he chuckled, nearly making me groan with his saintly, overbearing kindness. I wondered if his upbringing had moulded him into such a loyal friend. "All that we're carrying is the camping supplies, a spare tire, and a cooler full of ambrosia."

"Arceus, just how much are we gonna drink tonight?" I laughed back. An entire cooler of ambrosia was overkill for just two people, since even half of a bottle was enough to give me a hangover that lasted for a few days. Thinking about all of the thick, fizzy fluid packed away inside that cooler was making me feel queasy. Was a supercharged libido worth the hassle?

"We gotta get your tolerance up," Brandon smirked, his expression shifting into an amorous smoulder as he adjusted his trendy, wide-rimmed glasses. With a turn of the radio's knob, the country music returned in a fanfare to celebrate our entrance into the main section of Fortree. The town itself was known for its distinct lack of technology and proper infrastructure, which was a far cry from Lilycove. I could see why this place was a popular hideout for runaways. "The real reason is that Zack turns into a horny devil when he drinks the stuff, and ends up chugging through my stash. I always have to bring out the big guns whenever he tags along."

The rest of the drive was spent in tense silence, as Brandon manoeuvred his spluttering truck across precarious ledges and weaved it around trees. For a while, we would drive past hikers and those walking their Pokémon across the woods. As the minutes ticked by, encounters would become rare, until there was nobody left. Indra feverishly sniffed at the fresh air and lingering scents that only a canine could identify. I thought he was going to dive out and chase down whatever he was tracking for a moment. We had to be disturbing tons of wildlife with the noise from the struggling engine, but we eventually reached a clearing in the forest.

Brandon had been hyping up this place as a secret paradise that nobody knew about, and once I laid my eyes upon the grassy hovel, I knew that he was being honest. As the man skilfully parked his truck next to a mossy boulder, the afternoon sun trickled down between the cracks in the treeline and illuminated an overgrown glade. Through the tall grass, I noticed a white river babbling away in the distance, and resilient saplings that had grown in a perfect circle. The surroundings were like something right out of a postcard, and I marvelled at the natural beauty of the hidden campsite as the truck fell silent. As we stopped moving, my worries were put at ease. Was something this wondrous only just an hour's drive outside of Lilycove?

After the slamming of the truck's doors echoed throughout the forest, the faint chirping of unknown flying types was the only sound that could be heard. Indra's snout immediately brushed against the ground, as he crawled amidst thickets and branches to reach the river. Brandon didn't seem to mind his starter going off on his own, as he got to work unloading everything from the open back of his pickup. I regretted not bringing Wren along with me, as he probably would have appreciated the beauty of this place. It might remind him of his days spent trying to survive on his own though, so maybe it was for the best. I wasn't given much time to depress myself over his situation, as I helped Brandon bring the supplies to the glade.

As I carried an old toolbox over to the campsite, I watched as he finally unleashed Dominic and Zackary now that there was enough space to accommodate their madness. The Emolga squealed with joy once he noticed his surroundings, and managed to catch a lucky air current that launched him onto the back of his trusty steed. Like always, the two amigos were already causing mischief, as Dominic knocked over a box of Pokémon pellets with all of his bucking. The Blitzle's galloping eventually took them over to the riverbank, where Indra was intently staring at the water, probably attempting to fish out the juiciest Magikarp that he could find. This secret clearing wasn't going to stay quiet for very long with these crazy electric types.

"How did you find this place?" I asked, once everything but the cooler had been laid out onto the ground, that was still wet with morning mildew. I noticed subtle signs that Brandon had left on this amazing area, such as the initials 'B.H' carved into an oak tree, a rope swing that crossed over the river, and a pair of wooden benches that overlooked the breath-taking view. I wondered how many times he had visited this place, since he seemed so familiar with it all.

"Thomas found it first, actually," he admitted. "Forget how the story goes exactly, but he was trying to catch a Kecleon to breed for a client, and ended up stumbling across this little river."

"Well, that explains why this place is so remote, since wild Kecleons are experts at living as far away from human settlements as possible," I mused, vividly recalling the passages on their astounding camouflage from my old textbooks. Taking a brief moment to kneel on one of the benches to find my breath again, I realised that camping with Brandon was going to be a labour-intensive activity, in more ways than one. "Doubt that anyone is gonna interrupt us."

"Exactly, which is why we're able to do this without any risks," Brandon purred, loosening the heavy, studded belt that was holding up his jeans. The bleached garment fell to his wide ankles, and much to my surprise, was followed by his shirt. More and more of his tanned skin was revealed to my grateful eyes, as he shed layers of his restrictive clothing. After kicking off his muddy boots, he was left standing in front of me wearing nothing but yellow boxers. Unsurprisingly, his considerable bulge was accentuated by a cute, innocent Pikachu design.

"We haven't even set up the tent yet, and you're already stripping?" I laughed, tempted to cover up his distant figure with my hands. His glorious, muscled body had already been the subject of my fantasies, so getting to admire the real thing might have sent me over the edge. Uncontrollably, my eyes followed the curly happy-trail which separated his six pack in half.

"I come from a naturist family, so I'm in my element here," he grinned, snapping playfully at the elastic waistband on his underwear. I had always attributed the lack of embarrassment shown from each one of my co-workers to be the result of poképhilia, but Brandon's reason was definitely more unique than that. He must have been brought up in the naturist lifestyle, so his accepting personality was making a lot more sense. "Naked camping is the best way to experience nature, and we've got the perfect weather for it, too. Come on, Alex, clothes off!"

"I've decided to try anything once," I sighed, barely able to believe myself. Since I had been hired at the ranch, I realised that the best way to live was to seize any opportunities like these. Brandon had the impressive ability to neutralise my self-conscious feelings, probably because of his radiant smile and puppy-dog eyes, so I was more than happy to indulge in his request. We had been naked around each other enough times that it wasn't soul-crushingly awkward.

As I shimmied out of my own baggy jeans, I realised that he was already twirling his boxers around one of his fingers. The practiced flourish lead me to believe that he had been through this whole process many times before, like he took everyone on this strange, nude initiation. My wandering eyes focused on the man's respectable bush, that looked hilariously similar to the frizzy rug sitting atop his head. His thighs were also covered in a dense layer of hair, and I started to feel inferior, with my bare, milky skin making me seem annoyingly prepubescent. Not to mention, his package was a lot more developed than mines. With his massive balls, he could definitely put some of the breeding males at the ranch to shame. He smiled at me again, as he flung his Pikachu boxers onto the pile of supplies. They landed perfectly on a tentpole.

Brandon was totally right, though. The moment that my hairless body was set free from the constricting fabric, things around me started to get brighter and livelier. The feeling of wet grass between my toes and the warm sunlight washing over me reminded me of the ranch, but somehow, this felt a lot less intimidating. Probably because I wasn't at risk of being tackled and dominated by any of the horny residents, but I was rather returning to my natural state. Deciding to adopt a proud stance rather than cowering with my hands over my junk, I copied him and discarded my underwear with significantly less finesse. Okay, this was pretty great.

"Now, the challenge is to stay naked until tomorrow morning!" he announced, scanning over my body in a similar manner, although his admiration was a lot more blatant and animalistic. He adjusted his glasses to get a better look at me. Despite having been aroused by much less risky situations in my life, I managed to stave off a nervous erection. The practice that I was getting at the ranch was making a noticeable difference. "We've got a lot to prepare before we can start doing the fun stuff. Let's set up the tent first, and then we can gather firewood."

"You've definitely made things a lot more interesting," I said, watching his manhood swing from side to side as he dutifully sorted the pile of supplies. Even though he was still flaccid, it looked like Brandon was more of a shower than a grower. His current length was comparable to my cock when it was at its hardest, and his girth was insane, nearly as thick as a cola can. Eventually, he pulled out the rucksack which contained the tent, and I had to stop my staring. "Fighting against thorns and wild Pokémon without any protection sounds totally awesome."

"Tell you what," Brandon began, stifling a short laugh that caused his golden abs to ripple. He squatted down to lay out everything that we would need to build the tent, and I had no clue what half of these items were. One of them looked to be a small hammer. "Division of labour is a common survival strategy, so how about you build the tent with help from Zack, and I'll handle gathering the wood? I don't want you to fall ass-first into some poison ivy."

"Lovely image," I grimaced, looking over to the riverbank for a distraction. The other two electric types had joined Indra on his hunt for a fish. The Emolga was currently jabbing at the rushing water with a pointy stick, wailing out in anger that he wasn't able to catch anything. The flying squirrel always displayed his emotions with a cartoonish intensity that actually made him seem pretty cute. "Why Zack, though? Is he some kind of tent-building prodigy?"

"Not really, he's just the only other one here with opposable thumbs," he answered, after having laid out everything we would need. There was a flattened patch of ground that was protected by a canopy of trees, which looked like the perfect location for the cosy tent. Also, I hadn't noticed it at first, but we were standing around a large collection of scarred, black stones organised in a rough circle. I guessed that he was going to deposit the firewood there. "Indra's seen me do it a thousand times, so he can give you directions. That should be fine."

"Sure… I mean, it can't be that hard to build a tent," I nodded, despite my confusion at all of the rigid poles and wires lying on the grass in front of me. Most of it would just be common sense, and it wasn't like I was constructing a habitat out of twigs and leaves. "Let's get to it."

"Indra, Zack!" Brandon called, whistling through his fingers to catch the attention of his team that were steadily sidling further across the river. The Emolga yelped and dropped his pointy stick into the water, which got carried downstream. I was frightened that the spoiled squirrel would burst into tears, but Indra consoled him by rubbing a dirtied paw across his shoulders. He sniffled and looked over at us with watery eyes, that soon dried when he saw our nudity. "You're gonna help Alex build our tent while I get some firewood! Dom – you're with me!"

The moment that the loyal Manectric had received the order, he effortlessly bounced over the river and scurried over to assist me, his limitless energy belying his age. Unlike the others, he didn't bat an eye at my pale, uncovered body. Since he had been with Brandon's family for nearly thirty years, naked bodies probably looked way more natural to him that clothed ones did. The Emolga was significantly more excited to notice that my cock was hanging out, although he likely understood that it wasn't going to lead to anything yet. After he uttered his heartfelt goodbyes to the Blitzle who was trotting away with Brandon, he unfurled his fleshy wings and floated slowly over to us. The translucent, yellow flaps were fascinating to watch, as they seemed to defy the laws of physics and carry the Emolga across extensive distances.

"First one to finish gets to choose the sex positions for tonight!" Brandon yelled, giving me a back-handed wave while he ducked under a thorny branch. Evidently, he enjoyed turning even the simplest tasks into fun challenges, which could have been the cause of his positivity. To my astonishment, sharp twigs snapped under the weight of his bare feet, but the muscled giant didn't wince or flinch away. He looked like a sexy caveman who had conquered nature. All I could do was admire his rock-hard, toned ass as it faded away into the dense shrubbery.

Zackary landed onto a tree stump next to me with a giggle, as if he was mocking my nudity. It wasn't my fault that I couldn't compete with Brandon's raw masculinity, since the man had many years to sculpt his body into that of a perfect statue. My slender arms and puny frame must have looked quite funny to the electric squirrel. I tried to ignore his teasing and the tiny, white hands that were reaching out to prod at my lack of muscles, while I looked for the cloth that would be unrolled across the tall grass. Indra was already being infinitely more helpful, as he retrieved the brown satchel of tent pegs with his mouth and dropped them beside me.

"Ground cloth goes first," the Manectric growled, his uneven voice scratching from his throat like a sputter of electricity. I thought Devon's translator was malfunctioning, since it sounded as if his words had been fragmented with interference. It brought back memories of playing a game with Lawrence, where we would speak into the blades of a fan to sound like robots. The nostalgic sensation made me smile at the practical canine. "Frame, next. Then the pegs."

"Don't forget to string up the rain-fly at the end!" Zackary squeaked, skipping gleefully over to brandish one of the smaller tentpoles like a sword. The lightweight, plastic tube whistled smoothly through the air as he came dangerously close to smacking me in the balls with it. Watching the Emolga having an intense, imaginary swordfight, I wondered if Brandon had purposefully left him with me as a handicap. "Doing that is always my job, since I can fly!"

" _Glide_ ," Indra corrected. I learned that he would never say more than was needed, which was a welcome change from some of the other Pokémon I had encountered. Although, it was pretty intimidating to have him scrutinise my every move. The canine's rumbling, frenetic voice would have indicated a smile, but the silvery whiskers on his aged jowls hadn't moved.

"Whatever! It's the same thing!" the Emolga shrieked, launching over like a wingsuit glider to whack at the Manectric with the legendary sword. Indra deftly caught the weapon between his perfect teeth and wrestled it out of Zackary's grasp, causing him to scream so loudly that I was sure the whole of Fortree had been alerted to our presence. The translator finally buckled and sent repulsive feedback piercing into my ear. No matter how hard the Emolga pulled on the tentpole, it had been locked inside Indra's maw. Satisfaction flashed across his red eyes, as the squirrel looked ready to throw a tantrum. Volatile sparks started to surround them both.

Well, I was going to be on my own for most of this. Following Indra's vague outline, I decided to stretch out the ground cloth underneath the shade of the forest's graceful canopy. Suddenly remembering that I was naked, my decision to get onto all-fours became a lot more embarrassing as I tried to flatten the corners of the tarpaulin. Thank Arceus that Brandon had offered to gather the firewood, since he easily could have taken advantage of me while I was holding this vulnerable position. My perfect imitation of doggystyle went unnoticed by the two bickering electric types as I fantasised about getting fiercely railed by his thick cock. All of his actions had served to increase the sexual tension, which I knew were intentional. Setting all of these little missions, forbidding clothes for the entire day, and making me wait until later tonight were carefully crafted decisions to drive me insane. I forced the blood to stay above my waist as I patted down the ground cloth. Ashamed that my horniness was impeding my ability to build this tent, I stopped shaking my bare ass like a desperate whore.

Getting back to my feet, I looked back to find that Indra had successfully dethroned the Emolga as the sword's true wielder. Zackary had begrudgingly returned to the tree stump, and was sitting with his arms folded over his chest in defiance. His yellow, circular cheeks had puffed out as he held his breath, putting on an exaggerated pout. There wasn't much he could do against the older electric type, since Indra was clearly the leader of their little pack.

The Manectric padded over to me and dropped the missing tentpole at my feet, which was covered in his sticky saliva. Nevertheless, I expressed my gratitude by tussling the towering spike of fur on top of his head, which staunchly pricked and electrified my slender fingers. The sensation was ticklish rather than painful, and he seemed to appreciate my petting like most canine Pokémon were known to, as the tip of his angular tail wagged back and forth. After getting lost in the feeling of his dynamic, bristly coat for a few minutes, I turned my attention to the big, crumpled tent and collection of confusing tubes. Indra stopped nuzzling into my bare thigh and cleared his throat with a grating howl. He really was quite the softie.

"Breathe, Zack," Indra ordered, as the Emolga had started to turn a frightening shade of blue. He remained unfazed by the Manectric's demands, likely because he felt betrayed and upset.

"Would you help me with the tentpoles?" I asked, bending down to meet Zackary's eyeline. From everything that I had seen, the childish squirrel was a handful, but I imagined that he just wanted to be included in everything. Electric types were so high energy that they would act out in strange ways if they weren't being stimulated enough. Under my gaze, he finally sucked in a reluctant breath of the forest air, and brought a hand up to poke me in the nose. "The faster that we get this done, the sooner that you can impress me with your flying skills."

"Ugh, fine! But it's not because you asked!" the Emolga insisted, his cheeks igniting in a shower of embarrassed, yellow sparks. He pointed impolitely at my face as he hopped off of his throne, and shuffled dramatically over to the tent. Brandon's impeccable manners had rubbed off onto Indra and Dominic, but Zackary still retained his wild, unsophisticated flare. Maybe it was due to their similar sizes, but he intensely reminded me of Baxter. It wouldn't have surprised me if the two were already friends, and regularly got into mischief together.

"This'll be fun," Indra commented, and I could immediately tell that he was being sarcastic.

The rest of our alone time was spent fighting against the most complicated tent that I had ever seen in my life. I had no clue that this thing was cone-shaped until we had already connected half of the tentpoles, and it looked able to fit an entire family. My naked body was starting to sweat, as we had moved inside the confines of the tent to ensure the higher poles were steady. The blazing sun had moved into the single gap in the treeline, and was cooking me alive in the dark, absorbent canvas. Indra would vaguely comment now and again about the mistakes we had made, but offered no solution on how to fix them. Zackary was more interested in laughing at me whenever I had to stretch or crouch down to secure all of the other sections. The Emolga purposefully stood under my legs to get the most desirable view, while I tried to stop the heavy tent from collapsing onto our heads. After half an hour of chaos, it managed to stay upright, and so we started to hammer the metal pegs into the ground. Even though it was the most straightforward step in our camping crusade, none of us could successfully fasten the ropes into the wet dirt. Indra couldn't hold the hammer in his jaws, Zackary didn't have the patience for such a repetitive task, and I wasn't strong enough to deeply bury these pegs. Becoming increasingly aware of how much time was passing, frustration stung at my eyes.

We had to admit defeat once Brandon and Dominic came striding out of the bushes, with a cornucopia of gnarled wood and foraged berries. Most of the dead branches and twigs had been tied onto the Blitzle's back using woven straw, and such an inventive display made me realise that Brandon could have built this tent in five seconds. The muscled giant was holding armfuls of colourful berries, as if he had just raided someone's farm. However, I knew that he was knowledgeable enough to gather and identify all of those fruits without resorting to that. One of his hands was clutching onto a vine that protected a series of juicy, reddened spheres. His chiselled body was covered in muck and dirt, like he had crawled through a burrow in his quest to discover the bounties of the forest. He gave me a satisfied smile once he noticed that our tent was still incomplete, and took to cleaning his glasses to hide his excitement at getting to choose our roles for later tonight. Dominic whinnied like a prideful stallion at his friends, as Brandon effortlessly added the new supplies into the growing pile. That was a lot of wood.

"Need any help with that?" he asked, after I had tossed away the infuriating, dinky hammer. Boy scouts and little kids were able to construct a tent with no problems, so I felt pretty emasculated to have failed so spectacularly at the last hurdle. However, like always, I didn't sense any judgement from Brandon as he kneeled beside me. His gentle gaze was soothing.

"That'd be great," I said, swallowing my dignity and retrieving the miniature, metallic tool. Receiving a lesson from Brandon while we were both sweaty and butt-naked wasn't a terrible punishment for losing the challenge, so I had just had to accept that I would be at his mercy. He was crouching so close that I could smell the exhilarating, earthy scent caught in his hair.

"Most of these aren't too bad, y'know," he chuckled, leaning over to examine the peg that I was currently straddling. One of his bulging arms wrapped its way around my shoulders and pulled me closer to his wide, hairy chest. His manly scent made my heart skip a few beats, as he enveloped my bony fingers in his powerful grasp. Since his hands were covered in dirt, they looked even more spade-like, while he adjusted my grip. "Hold the mallet closer to the handle, and it'll be easier to hit your target, okay? It's more about technique than strength."

"Carpentry is good for more than just building birdbaths, isn't it?" I laughed, embarrassed that I hadn't figured out I was holding the hammer wrong this whole time. To me, it made more sense to grab the neck rather than near the end of its handle. It felt like it was going to slip right out of my grasp the moment I gave it a swing. Brandon probably noticed just how clammy my hands were, as his thick fingers moved down to keep the metal stake motionless.

"I'm flattered that you remembered that, since it's been a few days," he beamed, scratching at the dark, alluring stubble that lined his square chin. The amazing sound of his nails brushing against the facial hair made my aim wobble. No matter what he did, he radiated ruggedness. Attempting to mask my arousal, I vigorously tapped the peg into the ground, until it was little more than a metal hook connected to the rope. "See? No problem! I'll let you handle the rest of them, while I get started on building the fire. Zack, I'm trusting you to set up the rain-fly!"

"Way ahead of you!" the Emolga faintly chirped, his voice echoing throughout the treetops. The little rascal poked his head out from the tip of the cone-shaped tent, as his two, huge ears rotated forwards like radar dishes. The lightweight, yellow rain-fly had already been draped over one half of the tent, as he skilfully tied a cable onto the branch of the nearest oak tree. When we were alone together, the electric type had barely lifted a finger to help, but now that Brandon had returned, he was acting like a hard worker. He giggled innocently at my glare.

"The sun's already starting to go down, so we better hurry," Brandon said, looking up at the orange sky after cheerfully patting at my lower back. I watched him tread over to the gushing river and splash some clean water onto his dirtied thighs. Witnessing the trickles of liquid run across his pronounced, flexing veins caused me to miss and slam the hammer into my thumb. Suppressing a swear, I sucked quietly on my palpitating fingernail as he casually cleaned his entire body in the freezing river. His curly hair spilled into luscious, glittering locks of silk.

"Please, take your time," I whispered lustily, watching as he caressed his bare, tanned skin. The only being who caught my words was the stoic Manectric, who snorted with disapproval.

* * *

It wasn't long before the forest was plunged into darkness. One moment, vestiges of sunlight were still filtering down from the trees and bringing the area to life. The next, shadows had started to encroach on our humble campsite, and the purified air carried a significant chill. Thankfully, we had managed to finish the rest of our missions before it got dark, such as outfitting the tent with pillows and blankets, and locating a stack of white, paper plates. Having to stay naked due to Brandon's challenge amplified my anxiety, as our surroundings seemed to be more hostile. Every rustle or unidentifiable Pokémon cry coming from the night signalled a latent danger which made my skin crawl. The only beacon of warmth and comfort was the roaring bonfire that Brandon had painstakingly nurtured from a tiny, fleeting ember. Everyone huddled around the bright, crackling flame, as we prepared to brave the evening.

The satisfied giant was sitting across from me, sinking his teeth into one of the juicy berries that he had procured from the ground. Pockets of shadow defined his deep, low cheekbones. He had covered the wooden benches with fluffy towels, so we avoided the risk of splinters. Indra, his loyal companion, was still picking at the large carcass of the Magikarp that he had managed to apprehend before the sunset. Even though he was still chewing at strips of flesh, his eyelids were starting to droop every time that Brandon scratched at the nape of his neck. Zackary and Dominic were curled up together on one of the blankets, though neither of them seemed ready for a snooze. The Emolga's hands ran lovingly across his friend's striped hide. Even though Zackary teased and annoyed him a lot, the squirrel was undeniably enamoured.

"You've really never tried a berry before?" Brandon asked, wiping away some of the sticky, pink juice that was dripping from his chin. Both of his legs were spread as wide as possible, almost like he was taunting me with his stunning girth. Envious, I was sitting crossed-legged.

"My mum told me that eating them raw would poison you," I replied, glancing away from the man's cock to examine my own, untouched berry. There was something about the unwashed, rubbery sphere that didn't arouse my appetite. I could handle them if they were cooked into other dishes or made into jam, but I was still terrified of eating one without any preparation. Since they were usually enjoyed by Pokémon, I had never even bothered to learn their names.

"That's just an urban legend," he scoffed, after an oozing mouthful. "Some of the rare ones have interesting side effects when eaten by humans, but none of them are toxic or dangerous. My grandmother was super into alternative medicine, so she taught me all of their benefits."

"Okay… like what?" I questioned, poking at the spongy flesh of the berry. It was a bright, red colour, which was a common sign that the fruit shouldn't be consumed. Battlers often used berries to alleviate injuries and ailments caused by fighting, which only furthered my dislike.

"Well, these ones are Cheri berries," he informed, spitting out a stray seed between his teeth. Flying with surprising speed, it cracked against the bark of a tree. "They're mostly used to treat joint stiffness and paralysis, but they help with erectile dysfunction and blood flow, too. Looking back on it, she always made sure that my grandpa ate them. He never complained."

During his explanation, I had plucked up the courage to take a bite. A faint scent of cinnamon stuck in my nostrils as my teeth cut against the tough skin of the Cheri berry, and exploded into a wave of spiciness. As the watery flesh coated the inside of my mouth, a rousing heat crushed at the back of my throat, nearly making me choke on the thin fibres I had pulled off. Each time that I reluctantly chewed, the astringent taste would spread further into my body, almost like pins and needles were stabbing at my blood vessels. However, once I swallowed, the sharpness lessened into a more pleasant, tangy flavour. Even though I had taken only a single bite, it felt like the berry had warmed up my soul better than the loud, dancing bonfire. The experience of such a noticeable effect on my body was addictive, as I opted for another curious mouthful of the spicy fruit. I was sweating. Brandon laughed at my intense reaction.

"Is that why you went and picked them for tonight?" I flirted. From our past escapades, it was obvious that neither of us suffered from that particular affliction, but it was well-known that spicy foods were popular aphrodisiacs. Already, it felt like my nerve endings were more sensitive, and my heart was beating faster to counter the secret, peppery attack of the berry.

"Maybe if we didn't have this ambrosia, they'd be more useful," he said, tossing the inedible core of the berry into a small bucket next to the river. He grinned at his impeccable accuracy, and then started to dig through the melting cooler beside the bench. The frigid sound of ice reminded me of Wren, as he excavated two, unmarked glass bottles of the enhanced alcohol. When he passed one into my hands, the heat created by the berry dissipated. "Here, this is a more diluted blend of the stuff we drank at Katie's. Ronan doesn't like it when I mess with his recipe, but it's always too strong to drink normally. This one has more of a slow-burn."

"That's fine, as long as it comes with less of a hangover," I sighed, popping off the cap and letting the white, fizzy bubbles run down my hands. The liquid also seemed to be less syrupy, so I hoped it could quench my thirst. Ronan had been mentioned before, and I wondered if I would ever get the chance to meet the guy behind this miracle fluid's popularity in Hoenn. My colleagues must know a circle of people who had nothing to do with the ranch's progress.

"Won't know that until tomorrow," Brandon grinned, before downing his overflowing bottle in a long, impressive draught. Dregs of the lemonade fizz clung to his lips in a funny, frothy moustache, as he reached down to let Indra lick at the leaking neck of the bottle. He looked at his starter with love and care, even though his muzzle was stained with the Magikarp's blood. The Manectric, bathed in the firelight, seemed like an apex predator. I tried not to think about the bloody scales that were still embedded in his claws. "Anyway, we've got good food, and tons of good drinks, so how about good music to go along with it? Henrietta's lookin' ready."

"Who?" I asked, washing away the remaining spiciness with the sweet alcohol. Unlike the concoction that Ronan intended, this one didn't take ages to crawl across my waiting tongue. Upon further thought, it was probably the Blissey egg that gave the ambrosia its peculiar consistency, so since it had been watered down, it wasn't like honey any more. Drinking it like this was far more enjoyable, so I took a few more sips until my lips weren't throbbing.

"She's my baby," he crooned, as he produced an acoustic guitar from behind the bench. Even though it was dark, I could discern several, frayed strings that curled off from the headstock, and a big gash in the cherry-red body that had been mended with duct tape. The laminated pickguard had been scratched to shreds, but a lightning-bolt design still exuded a faint glow. It looked as if had been drawn in thick, neon-yellow marker. Brandon twirled one of the nuts and gave his guitar a confident strum. "Had her since I was ten, but her sound is still lovely."

"Wow, she's been around for fifteen years of courting," I joked, uncrossing my legs as the placebo effect of the alcohol was already working wonders. I had been conditioned to relax when there was a drink in my hand, which I knew had to be genetic. My dad drank himself into a divorce, and Lawrence wasn't much better. I hoped I wasn't walking a similar path.

"Way easier to impress girls with a guitar than it is with guys, which isn't exactly useful in my case," he noted, descending into throaty laughter as he lifted the leather strap over his shoulder. Even though his manhood was concealed by the instrument, his sexy demeanour had been amplified so much that I wasn't keen to believe his words. All it took was one glance at the muscled giant tenderly cradling his guitar, and the arousal that I had been struggling to subdue since this afternoon returned. "That being said, music's helped me through a lot of tough times, and is one of the few ways I know how to connect with people."

"Ooh! Are we getting a song!?" Zackary squealed, bouncing off of the relaxed Blitzle to sit closer to the dwindling bonfire. Brandon nudged another piece of dried wood onto the flames with his toes and took his place at the bench. Resting his beloved guitar across his knee, he nodded at the eager Emolga, and then put a finger to his lips. Thankfully, he got the message and fell silent, although he was still rocking back and forth with excitement. Pretty adorable.

"Alex, I've been dying to sing to you ever since you joined us," Brandon said, his smooth voice deepening into a rumble after he cleared his throat. His polite smile dropped, replaced by a smoulder that belonged to a much darker, more experienced man. That lustful glance I had seen back at Katie's apartment overwhelmed his sweet, brown eyes. Behind the geeky glasses, was a hunter examining his prey. His dire look was the only indication that he was about to break into song. I only had time to take a quiet breath in response, before a violent strum of his guitar emanated across the campsite. He was only using his long fingers to play.

_**(Author's Note – The song featured in this part is 'Glitter & Gold' by Barns Courtney!)** _

It was like listening to someone else. His voice was unrefined, and rang out with such fire and intensity that it was shocking. Normally, his tone was inoffensive, but now that he was attacking the guitar clutched in his hands, it had been tinged with a seductive, soulful twang. His right hand swiped across the sound hole with such force that he could have sliced his fingers open, as his other hand gently pressed at the fretboard. Effortlessly, he slid across the strings in time with his voice, leaning into the guitar with each new, zealous line in the song.

As he reached the first verse of the song, I started to blush, as it seemed like the lyrics were directed to me. His concentrated gaze flicked from the vibrating strings to my stunned face, and a satisfied smile twisted his voice into a husky groan. As I listened to the muscled giant's passionate words, I couldn't help but think that some of them applied to my newfound life. There was a line about walking in the shadow of a man who sold his life to a dream. Thomas? It made sense that Brandon was just as knowledgeable about the businessman's situation as Hannah, since they had been friends for years. He asked if I pondered the manner of things, which everyone in my life had always teased me about. His accuracy was worrying, like he tailored this song for my personality. Was this what he meant about connecting with others?

With each repetition of the simple chorus, his playing would grow more feverish. His voice came from deep within his chest, and began to reverberate with each new, meaningful breath. His bare foot stamped on the ground as he slapped the body of his guitar, his aggressive vibe becoming infectious, as my knee bounced along to the music. As the song lulled, he bared his teeth in an animalistic sneer, as the remnants of cordiality had been incinerated in the flames. When he first told me that he played acoustic guitar, I had imagined a folk, hipstery sound that was gentle and wholesome. Instead, I was witnessing a beast who was brutalising his instrument, which explained the gashes and snapped strings. The energy of the rock song was conveyed by his growling voice and frantic movements, that was as scary as it was attractive.

As the song continued, a line about talking to Pokémon and holding their lives from a string blindsided me. Brandon pointed to a lovestruck Emolga to emphasise his point, who clapped and cheered, likely missing the cryptic meaning of the message. My attention was lost in his masterful playing, but my philosophical mind raced to try and figure out the song's meaning. Since we worked at a breeding ranch, we were literally holding lives by a string, and I was floored by all of the connections Brandon had made. Music was his way of communicating.

Once we entered the bridge, his voice dropped by another octave, and was enough to send a trickle of arousal down my spine. His exasperated rasping enveloped me like a blanket, as I had to reach over and place a pillow onto my knees. The firelight illuminated his figure and made him look like a golden, nude painting, solidifying his status as the most desirable man I had ever encountered. I wanted to learn more about him, not just speculate through his music. Not only that, I wanted to experience his aggression that he masked with kindness. Finally, I was starting to realise what was in store for tonight. He had called me brave to join him on this camping trip, and with the way he was singing and looking at me, I was ready for him. With everything about the past few hours, like the challenges, the spicy berries, the ambrosia, and now the captivating music, I had been slowly approaching a huge crescendo of pleasure.

He ended the song with a final howl, that ushered forth a menagerie of replies from inside the remote forest, like some wild Pokémon had gathered to listen. I shuddered at the faint noises, as Brandon took a few moments to catch his breath. He attempted to hide just how much his tanned, hairy chest was heaving, as his lungs desperately struggled for air. Ignoring a bead of sweat that dripped down from a curl matted to his forehead, he leaned over to dig for another bottle of ambrosia. Henrietta dangled from his waist, exposing his hardened manhood that was rubbing against the back of the abused guitar. One of her thin strings had been loosened. There was so much that I wanted to say to the new man sitting in front of me, but the words were stuck inside my nervous throat. Silently, I stared at his giant cock and finished the rest of my bottle, as I pressed the blue pillow into my similar, raging erection. Slow-burn, my ass.

"I had planned to play a couple other songs," he finally said, once Zackary's ecstatic clapping had stopped for good. His other Pokémon acted as if this happened all the time, as Indra's ears had barely twitched for that entire performance. He tipped the bottle at me in a knowing gesture, but the kind look hadn't returned to his face yet. His brown eyes still looked violent, and his lips were without a smile. "But, if I'm being honest, I really want to fuck you now."

"Only took a few hours," I replied uneasily, expecting him to laugh. Instead, he just nodded while finishing the rest of his drink. Even though it was watered down, he had demolished two bottles in the space of a couple minutes. The effect was clear as he deposited Henrietta behind the bench, fully revealing his erect dick. Okay, even though it didn't sound possible, he was both a shower and a grower. "Since you won earlier, you get to choose the positions."

"I was going to choose them anyway," he revealed with a growl, getting back to his feet and disappearing into the darkness before I could give a reply. He was heading in the direction of his truck, as some of the fire's jumping embers glinted clearly in the reflection of its wheels. Indra raised his head as his master vanished, and Zackary looked ready to follow him, as he waddled next to the bench. It was strange. Brandon was displaying so much blatant emotion in his performance, but now, he seemed almost cold despite these amorous circumstances. I could hear the rattling sound as he retrieved something from his pickup. Eventually, the man returned with a heavy, black box clutched in his hands. The container had a rusted padlock. "Boys, it's time for me to have some alone time with Alex. How about you take a bottle into the woods and have some fun? I don't want you back here until you've finished it, alright?"

"Yeah, we know the drill!" Zackary squeaked, leaping at the chance to receive some of the precious, chilled ambrosia. He dove headfirst into the cooler, and flung melted cubes of ice onto the grass beside the firepit. After only a few seconds, he hefted out a bottle that seemed slightly larger than the ones we had been drinking. The squirrel nearly tipped over with the extra weight as he carried it over to Indra and Dominic, who didn't show outward excitement.

"We'll try not to go too far this time!" the Blitzle reassured, his optimistic voice carrying far into the trees as he lowered himself into a bowing stance. Zackary clambered onto the zebra's striped back, and he was already sipping at the foam spewing from the top of the open bottle. He tossed the bottlecap carelessly into the fire. His shiny nose twitched, as the overpowering fizziness made his cheeks bulge out. While the cowboy and his mount traipsed into the forest, their enigmatic canine turned and locked eyes with me. The Manectric looked back at me with a mixture of his interest and pity, and then they all left to go off on their own adventure.

With all of the trained Pokémon gone, I suddenly felt very unsafe. While my past concerns had been related to the legions of wild creatures that roamed these woods, now I was worried about what Brandon was going to do to me. My experiences at the ranch had taught me how to read people better, and the muscled giant looked like a man who had just been unshackled. His mask was finally down, but maybe that wasn't a good thing. As he walked back to the empty bench, his massive, imposing shoulders flexed under the warping glow of the firelight. If he decided to force me down to the ground, I wouldn't be able to fight back. That thought created an odd disconnect in my mind. Brandon was kind. He wouldn't do that… would he? Obscuring shadows sliced into his tanned face, making it impossible to discern his intentions. There was a simultaneous thrill and horror that came with the silence. A lump formed in my throat that I couldn't swallow, as I watched him dislodge a twisted key from the crate's edge.

"Alex, since I've grown to respect you, I'll give you a last warning," Brandon whispered, his voice wavering as he flipped the key around in his fingers. He was staring at his reflection in the dull surface, but there was no hint of deeper emotion in his eyes. After a second, his brow furrowed, which pushed his glasses further down the bridge of his bulky nose. Only now, did I realise that it was crooked, like it had been broken before. "In order for me to enjoy sex with other guys, I have to be… demanding. Once this box is unlocked, the only thing that I'll acknowledge is our safe word. Let's make it Cheri, since that's easy to remember and say. Aside from that, you're not allowed to speak, unless you're responding to me. Is that clear?"

There it was. I knew that he had been hiding something from me. Since I had only ever seen him interact with Pokémon, there wasn't any indication that he had such issues with intimacy. On my first day at the ranch, I would have never guessed that Brandon took great pleasure in sexually dominating and controlling others. He just seemed so… gentle. He fought through the shame of his admission to look directly into my eyes, waiting desperately for a response. His callused knuckles whitened as he tightened his grasp on the key, like he was using it to keep himself grounded in the moment. Both of us were still maintaining erections, partly due to the ambrosia's influence. I found that my sickly anxiety had vanished after his explanation, since I knew that he wouldn't be intentionally malicious. Submission wasn't something that I was opposed to, as the encounter with Wisteria was still fresh in my mind. I really wanted to accommodate Brandon's specific needs, since he had been so polite and friendly with me. Also, I had an inkling what was hidden away in that box, which only amplified my desire to experience what the authoritative man had to offer. All that remained was the need for release and to feel his powerful touch against my skin. Unable to take the tension anymore, I nodded.

"I'll do whatever you want me to," I replied, our kinky agreement solidified by a particularly loud crack from the wood splitting apart under the flames. It sounded like a boom of thunder, and was followed by a wicked, pleased grin from Brandon. The element of guilt written into his face was replaced with validation, which lead me to believe I had made the right choice. Judgement didn't exist at the ranch. That extended to here. "Anything else I should know?"

"If you really need to stop and are unable to say the safe word for whatever reason, you are to blink repeatedly until I notice, okay?" he said, barely able to conceal the lust in his voice as he spoke in a gruff, logical tone. It was almost like listening to a teacher ordering their class around, since it was so impersonal and detached. Even so, imagining what could possibly be shoved in my mouth to prevent me from speaking made me squirm. "I'm serious. If you can't take the punishment and start sobbing or screaming, it won't stop me. Actually, it'll just piss me off and ruin my night, so don't even try it. Keep your mouth shut and follow my orders."

Reassured by my first response, Brandon detached the padlock from the box. After it fell onto the bench with a metallic clunk, he flung open the lid as if it weighed nothing. My alcohol-filled stomach did an excruciating backflip as he revealed its contents in the light of the fire. Inside, was a treasure trove of colourful sex toys and BDSM equipment. The shock allowed me to swallow down the lump stuck in my throat, and it felt like a stone dropped in my gut. Quietly, the muscled giant brandished what looked to be a bodysuit made of black, shiny leather, but he only threw it across the grass to clear more space. With each new item that he pulled out and sorted through, my heartbeat was sent on a rollercoaster. The various dildos littered on the ground went from manageable to hole-destroying, and at one point, he looked curiously at a wide, circular funnel. What the fuck was a funnel doing in a box of sex toys? Only five minutes ago, I would have asked him. However, I wasn't about to break the rules. Suffering in aroused silence, I had to wait until the entire, expensive box had been emptied. Eventually, he settled on a mess of tangled, glistening chains. At least it wasn't the funnel.

"If you're not sitting against the tree where I carved my initials in ten seconds, I will have to reconsider which object to use on you," he commanded, with a cold, savage glare. While he swiftly unspooled the chains until they were dragging noisily across the grass, I tried not to shiver as I scrambled across to the marked, towering oak tree. Once I turned back around, he had stopped to examine the pillow I had been using to cover my hard cock. To my horror, the fabric had been sullied with a sticky stain. Leaking so much precum was never a good omen. A grimace flickered across Brandon's lips, as he picked up the pillow. "Lick it clean. Now."

The request came as I was getting into position. The wet grass tickled at my uncovered hole as I sat in front of the tree, which gave me goosebumps. He was testing what my limits were. He walked slowly up to me, his veiny, throbbing cock just inches away from my face, as he shoved the pillow into my hands. While looking at me expectantly, he caressed the entire length of his impressive shaft. I could smell the dense, sweat-tinged aroma of his bush and hairy balls, which spurred me to comply with his desire. My tongue ran across the soft fabric, as I lapped at the cooling patch of my fluids. The fabric dried out my mouth, and the mild taste infused with a bitter, salty finish nearly made me gag. Despite feeling dirty and used, I could feel another bead of the stuff leave the slit of my cock, and fully coat my swollen head. This slow torturing was unbearable. The fact that Brandon was clearly watching me sample my own precum desperately made me want to tug on my manhood, but I was soon stopped.

"Hands behind your back."

As I finished slurping up my essence from the pillow, I felt the frighteningly cold sensation of the chains wrap their way around my torso. I barely had time to interlock my hands above my ass, before they were sealed away against the bark of the tree. One of my wrists scraped against the rough surface, as he continued to forcefully tie me up. Catching a swear by biting at my tongue, I could already feel a slow trickle of blood run down my fingers. In a show of thoughtfulness which reminded me that the old Brandon was still buried inside layers of sexual frustration, he propped the drool-covered pillow vertically onto the back of my head. Even though I was forbidden from pleasuring myself now, and my injury had started to sting, I couldn't help but conceal a nervous smirk as he left to connect the two ends of the chain. Not all aspects of him had transformed. Once he returned, he showed me an annoyed scowl.

He obviously had experience with restraining people. No matter which way I wriggled, the chains jabbed harshly into my delicate skin, and I couldn't turn my neck or move my head. As I struggled to find an ounce of comfort within the lifeless chains, I felt the beginnings of distressed tears creep across my eyes and cloud my vision. Nothing had even happened yet, but being treated so impartially was enough to shatter my self-esteem that had been built up over the course of a few days. This didn't even compare to Wisteria's vines, as those aspects of her body had felt similar to a lover's embrace, even when they were used as a riding crop. This type of submission was more demeaning, but the waves of shame seemed to make my erection ache with a sick impulse, rather than outright killing it. Why was my body showing these signals of enjoyment, even when I was about to burst into tears? Brandon watched me struggle and whimper against the metallic fetters, and kneeled down to tap at my cock as it wobbled embarrassingly. My face turned a fiery red, as his light touch wasn't nearly enough. Flashes of subdued pleasure ignited in his chocolate eyes, as I sniffled like a sad, pitiful runt.

"I knew that you'd enjoy my chains, you little slut," he leered, his voice carrying a certain, insulting vitriol that amplified my shame. All I could do was reply with a shaky exhale, as I vowed never to let these tears roll down my cheeks, or else he would be aware of a weakness. He retreated from my dribbling cock by giving it a final, tight squeeze. After rising again, his own arousal throbbed into my eyeline. He was standing so close to my face, that I could feel the heat radiating off of his girthy head. He pushed against my pursed lips as I stifled a moan. "Now, let's see how much you enjoy choking on my dick. I want to feel you sucking and using your tongue. Graze me with your teeth, and I'll shove it even deeper into your throat."

Unable to even nod my head, I only had time to vaguely whine before he slipped his cock past my drooling lips. His girth threatened to unhinge my jaw and send me to the hospital, as I had to keep my mouth wide open to ensure my teeth didn't scrape against his meaty shaft. Splitting tension pulled at either side of my neck, as he thrusted roughly across my tongue to keep his knees from buckling at the sensation. Trying to calm down and breathe through my nose, I was trapped by the sweaty scent of his penis. My eyes watered as I looked up into the satisfied face of my dominator, which was barely visible in the darkness. The silhouette of his geeky glasses was the only thing I could discern, reminding me of his mask. Each stroke took him deeper until he pressed at my throat. I was trying to suck on his cock, but he had forced my lips so far apart that creating a seal was impossible. Arceus, his dick didn't seem to end.

His massive balls slapped against my chin, as I gagged uncontrollably at the cockhead which was trying to delve further into my throat. My tongue uselessly wiggled at his hairy underside as my fists clenched against the chains. Horrific urgency made my skin crawl as I felt like I was going to cough up the remnants of the berries and ambrosia, but I was unable to retreat. Ignoring my gargling protests, Brandon's powerful hands wrapped their way around my ears, as he unleashed a sequence of unrestrained thrusting against my throat. Every muscle in my body contracted as my neck seized, finally allowing the man to enter as I heaved and choked. The sound of my own, terrified voice being unable to get past the blockage of cock made a surge of arousal override the instinctive panic. While I was unable to breathe, I was trying to massage the head of my dick against one of the looping chains. I gulped at Brandon's penis, like I was the Magikarp that I had watched Indra pull from the water. My stomach churned and bubbled, as my gag reflex went unresolved. An acidic taste flooded across my tongue, and I was seconds away from blinking until the tears spilled down from my twitching eyes.

"Don't puke on me, you bitch!" Brandon yelled, cracking me across the face with one of his muscly hands. My eyes wrenched shut in disbelief as pain radiated from my cheek. I had never expected that kind of assault. I moaned frantically in response, as the thrusting had ceased for a moment. I felt his cock throb inside my mouth as he slapped me once again, before wrapping some of my lengthy hair around his fingers. He nearly ripped out a chunk as he pulled my head to one side. I retched violently as his shaft popped out of my ruined throat.

I wasn't going to use the safe word. My wanting dick ached so badly that stopping here was not an option, no matter what Brandon decided to do with me. I swallowed down a mouthful of burning saliva and thick, milky precum, as he granted me a few, quiet seconds of respite. While I feverishly humped against my restraints like a bitch in heat, he slapped his dripping, sticky shaft against the cheek that he had bruised. He used his cock like a paintbrush, and coated my face with translucent fluids, even poking his red, raised slit into my runny nose. Breathing uneasily, I tried to free one of my hands so that I could pump my cock until I fired off an overdue load across the grass. All that accomplished was another scrape on my bloody wrist, as I felt the chain become slick. I had never felt this kind of blazing arousal before, that was akin to being tortured eternally for my sins in Hell. Brandon noticed my situation, and reached down to take hold of my sensitive balls, neglecting the pole that begged for his touch. He squeezed and teased at the two, virile orbs, until he was trying to pull them to the ground. I writhed and nearly cried out in protest, as he treated the source of male pride as a plaything.

"Maybe it's because you're young, but your nuts are fuckin' tiny," he taunted, taking one of them between his thick fingers, and rolling it around. My eyes focused on the fire that was slowly dying behind Brandon, so I didn't have to watch him embarrass and emasculate me. Even still, my cock shamefully throbbed in time with my heartbeat, as all of the attention to my ballsack started to become pleasurable again. I would take any contact that I could get. "Must be from a lack of testosterone, right? Same reason that you're mostly hairless, unless you're one of those boys that likes shaving their legs. Alex, tell me, do you shave your legs?"

"No… I don't-!" I replied, my throat hoarse from the pounding it had received from his cock. His grip tightened on my balls, cutting off my response with a humiliating yelp. Slimy sweat trickled its way down from my crimson shoulders, as my entire body felt like it was blushing. Even though he had given me permission to speak, it seemed like he had changed his mind after hearing my pitiful, high-pitched words. His smoky gaze fell upon the chains wrapped around my rippling chest, and he tugged on them roughly, making them cut further into me.

"Looking like that, you're just asking to be fucked in the ass," he snarled, while he started to twist the looser sections of the chain into crumpled knots. I could have sworn that the oak tree groaned and bent under his superhuman strength. Waves of pressure pummelled at my chest and stole the breath I had worked so hard to catch. He roughly jerked at his manhood as he squeezed the life out of me, enjoying my gasps for air. The back of my head thumped loudly as my vision blurred, until the weakest link in the chain had been undone. My body collapsed into his embrace for just a moment, before he threw me onto the grass like an old mannequin.

Before I even knew what was happening, Brandon was dragging me by one of my thin legs onto the bench nearest the fading flames. I managed to roll onto my back before sharp twigs could poke and slice into my erection. Even still, my teeth sunk into my bottom lip to stifle the cries at getting scraped across the forest floor. I stared at the shimmering moon peeking through the gaps in the treetops to calm myself, as he effortlessly pulled me along the ground. He really was a caveman, treating me like a piece of meat. We passed by the welcoming tent that had went unused for the entire evening, and I yearned to be taken amidst the blankets. However, romance was not on Brandon's mind, as he whirled me around until I landed onto the towelled bench. My head was spinning at all the movement, but I knew that my stained butt had been raised high into the air. He didn't even need to go collect the chains, as my legs were soon forced apart, and my poor, bleeding arms were held down by his crushing strength.

"You still look pretty tight, even though the ranch Pokémon keep using you as their fucktoy," he whispered, leaning over my grass-covered back to assault my ear with his breath that smelled of spice and vodka. The stubble on his chin scratched at the area of my face he had slapped, causing me to thrash under his intense weight. His overbearing masculinity almost made him seem like one of those Pokémon he was referring to. His primal energy was scary. "What a shame. Tonight would have been much easier if they had already broken your hole."

Brandon hastily spat out a glob of saliva to lubricate my opening. Apprehension wrapped its way around my beating heart, as I knew that spatter of spittle wouldn't be enough to soothe or accommodate the man's monstrous size. Aside from Kelvin and his bulbous knot, Brandon would easily take the lead for the largest cock that had invaded my insides. While he pulled my cheeks apart and rubbed some fingers against my tight ring, a familiar, ethereal sensation managed to let my muscles relax. My arms fell limp. My attention was drawn to the bonfire, as its dancing heat seemed to radiate and bathe the forest in a heavenly lustre. The brightened waves of yellow and orange light sank into every cell in my body. I had experienced this kind of heaviness at Katie's orgy, and knew that the ambrosia had finally slithered down my veins and sensitised my pale flesh. The timing of this slow-burn was impeccable, as the high from the ambrosia loosened my pink hole just in time for Brandon to plunge his dick inside of me.

A groan of dulled pain tore across my throat, as the man's girth pushed apart my unclenched walls and drilled into my ass. His dick had nearly dried out again after the forced blowjob, so the feeling of his shaft kneading and prising at my sensitive flesh was unbearably agonising. My teeth grinded together, as the groan soon transformed into a swallowed scream. I could still taste the sweaty, bitter taste of his precum stuck on the back of my tongue. Despite my rational mind urging me to escape from having my guts pounded, the ambrosia ensured that I stayed still with my legs splayed apart. The tips of my fingers were the only part of me to react, as they curled into the woollen fibres of the towel covering the wide, creaking bench. Without lube, time itself seemed to blur and disappear with the pain, as he ruthlessly carved out a space inside of me that would fit his massive cock. My eyes lost focus. The forest in front of me turned into a murky ocean of green shadows, as I blankly accepted his full length.

"Alex, am I the very first human to be inside your ass?" Brandon asked, the strange question bringing me back to my senses, just as he started to pull his shaft out from my aching asshole. I could barely comprehend his gruff words, as inches upon inches of his meat were dragged back into the cold air, making me feel distinctly empty. While the swollen head of his dick poked out of my stretched ring, I heard him spit once more in an attempt to lessen my burden.

The moment that I opened my violated mouth to respond, he suddenly slammed back into me with enough force to slide me across the bench. His hard, muscular thighs thumped against my slender asscheeks, sending an echo into the trees. The ridge of his cockhead stabbed with skilled accuracy at my prostate, and the first inkling of pleasure amidst the swathes of pain was enough for me to forget the question entirely. Breaking through the ambrosia's spell, my right hand found its way under my waist, as my neglected cock grinded against the wet towel. A single throb from Brandon was enough to widen my hole again, which spurred me to squeeze at my manhood with trembling, bloody fingers. My delayed orgasm was tantalisingly close, as the simple feeling of skin contact had been amplified to feel like an angelic massage.

"Playing with your tiny, worthless cock isn't an answer!" he roared, wrenching my arm away and pinning it back down onto the bench. Ejaculation faded out into the recesses of my core, as my pole twitched with a tormenting impatience. While he started to press all of his weight onto my bony wrist, he sank his cock deeper into my insides, until I could feel his curly bush tickle and caress my pale skin. As if nearly dislocating my arm wasn't enough of a suitable punishment, his remaining hand reeled back and whacked against of my hairless buttcheeks.

I let out a stunned moan, as my flesh jiggled in a gracious response beside his buried cock. The sharp, prickly sensation of his spanking dissolved into a volley of exhilarating tingles, as Brandon left handprints all over my backside. With each new marking left on my white skin, I had to suppress a childish sob. Even though I wasn't bent over his knee, I still felt like I was being disciplined for my naughty behaviour. The torrent of intense guilt interlaced with the artificial arousal from the ambrosia made it the most confusing boner I had ever experienced. His cock surged and throbbed inside me every time that he spanked my unworthy ass, until it seemed like he couldn't take it anymore. I heard a muffled groan of satisfaction rattle from somewhere above me, before he grabbed hold of my soft, aching cheeks and continued his onslaught of heartless thrusting. Every aspect of me had been tenderised under his control. Just when I would recover enough to consider replying, his rock-hard shaft would rub at my needy prostate, and all of my enhanced senses would be blessed with the rapturous pressure.

"Hurry up and speak, while my cock destroys your dirty ass," Brandon said, hunching over my back and wrapping his free arm around my neck. He flexed his bulging muscles, until they compressed against my throat and tilted my head sideways. He nibbled violently at my ear that had been shoved towards his lips, until he was violating it with his curious tongue. Somehow, his thrusting managed to get even faster, as he rocked powerfully on his huge legs. His presence managed to be stifling, intimidating and comforting all at the same time, which made me realise that nothing else in this forest could ever hurt me. Except for him, of course.

"You're… the first one…" I gasped, having to force out the words through clenched teeth as he ravaged my loosening butthole. With another disrespectful spit that landed inside my ring, every one of his thrusts would create a muffled squelch. Strands of saliva trickled down my thighs and left faint tracks of resonating pleasure, as if he had given me debaucherous tattoos.

"I was going to celebrate by filling your guts with my cum," Brandon murmured, his gravelly voice losing some of its detached composure as his thrusting became erratic. A beastly grunt managed to escape past his teeth as he returned to biting my earlobe. Heated droplets of his sweat pattered at my back, stinging at the scraped skin and smudging me with manly scent. After so much trouble, his cock was now gliding into my hole without resistance, speedily massaging the giant to near climax. He battled a cacophony of rapid, high-pitched inhales, as features of his old self threatened to return in response to the orgasm. He let me notice such a change for a few seconds, and disguised his mistake by adjusting his grip. His muscles felt tighter, like he was holding his breath. "But, since your reply was late, you don't deserve it."

Much to my dismay, I was suddenly freed from his presence. My wrist was no longer pinned onto the bench, allowing me to shake it around and recapture the circulation. A rush of thick, intoxicated blood travelled to my fingertips. As my base instincts succumbed to the ambrosia, the released appendage darted over to envelop my penis once again. I was only offered a few, meagre seconds of self-abuse in response to my anus getting wrecked, before I was carelessly interrupted by a feeling of abandonment. Brandon noisily withdrew his monstrous cock from the depths of my sloppy, oozing asshole, making me whimper. The last feeling of satisfaction came when his swollen head was squeezed out of my clenched ring, causing my lip to quiver. All it took was a simple, cruel motion, and the wonderful warmth from his body had been replaced with a sobering, evening bitterness. I desperately wanted him to shove his pole back in to fill the space he had painstakingly stretched out. The rest of his saliva was vacated in a loud, bubbling splutter, as my hole winked at the sadistic man who had ruined my orgasm. He really didn't care about me, and was only concerned with fulfilling his own twisted desire.

"Get onto your knees and stay there, whore," his voice commanded. Even though he sounded far away from my tired, presenting body, I could tell that his tone wasn't wavering anymore. His order was accompanied by a blast of renewed light from the bonfire, which revealed the motionless boundaries of the glade. The river had calmed down. While struggling to turn around on the towelled bench, I watched him toss more wood onto the charred pit with one hand, and tug at his moist erection with the other hand. The ambrosia had siphoned away the control of my limbs to sustain my heightened libido, so it took all of my remaining strength to ignore the ache in my gaping butthole and collapse onto the grass. My head was swimming.

While kneeling in front of him, fingers still grasped around my cock, I was able to get a clear look at his face again. His steely glare would have been enough to shock me into submission all on its own, but the scowl stuck to his lips told me that he was upset with my disobedience. I cowered weakly towards the masturbating devil, afraid of what else he would do to me if I managed to annoy him again. He stalked across the smoking firepit, dragging out clouds of burning ash from the charcoal and painting his thighs black. Mostly as a consequence of my addled state, I nearly forgot the man's name. The force walking towards me was Brandon… the cute, nerdy co-worker who had fiddled with his suspenders when asking me on this date. The staunch, shining beacon of kindness was unrecognisable. Nothing more than its shadow.

"You're going to look me in the eyes when I cum over your face," he seethed, lurching at my head with terrifying agility. He treated my shoulder-length hair like a set of reins, and guided my unresisting head into the sprawling bush above his package. The crude, heavy scent of my ass sweat burned at my nostrils as he forced me to savour his own efforts. His other hand was still rapidly pumping at his shaft, ready to drown me in a torrent of semen. "Since this is our first time together, I'll allow you to jerk off your puny cock. Just shut the fuck up, alright?"

The moment that permission was growled into my dampened ears, my hand went into an uncontrollable frenzy, beating across my supple flesh until I could feel the lure of an orgasm. Even while diluted, the ambrosia made it seem as if my body was holding back a swirling tsunami of warm milk, like an overflowing dam that was a drop away from crumbling apart. The feeling had been teased so many times tonight, that it didn't take long for me to bite my tongue in preparation for me to lose control of everything. While continuing to blatantly pleasure my stiffened pole as Brandon rubbed my face into his bush, I noticed that he was no longer trying to subdue his breathing. Overworked gasps matched the insane rhythm of his fingers gliding across his sticky cockhead, until he choked out a final, rasping moan of lust. The muscles knotted around his bulky thighs constricted, as he bucked his hips and sent his cock jabbing at the side of my face. I was so focused on my own earth-shattering climax, that I barely had time to look him in the eyes. The giant ripped out countless strands of my hair.

Thick, viscous globs of semen splattered across my face. Sparks of electrical desire flashed in the man's pupils, as he stared deeply into my own. As if on purpose, Brandon aimed the erupting firehose into my eyes, until I had no choice but to close them and accept his load. The idea of him viciously marking me as his property was enough to let weaker dribbles of seed spray onto the grass in front of me. It was nearly impossible to keep quiet while in the throes of such a potent orgasm, so I chewed on my own tongue, until I could taste the copper. He was firing his essence so powerfully across my skin that it felt like lashes of humid rain, and the storm wasn't stopping any time soon. Just as I started to believe that it was safe, more heated ropes of his ejaculate would cling to my lengthy eyelashes and land onto my tight lips.

"Yeah, you love it, right?" Brandon whispered, his presence seeming even more confusing now that I was blind to his facial expressions. While he covered the rest of my twisted face with his paint, I noticed that his hushed voice had adopted a more desperate, vulnerable tone. He didn't give off the impression of a heartless, dominant master who didn't care about the toy that he was destroying anymore. Instead, it sounded like he was seeking for my approval.

His words sounded vaguely sad. While I desperately wanted to respond and put what must have been a deep-seated worry to rest, we were suddenly interrupted by the rustling bushes. My orgasm trailed away into spine-tingling panic, as I felt Brandon spring quickly into action somewhere next to me. Even though the events of tonight had been somewhat traumatic and revealing for me, getting ripped away from such a taboo, intimate moment was very jarring. My fingers swiped away the webs of semen that had hardened against my face, to try and see what the hell was going on. Just trying to peek through my cum-soaked eyelids was painful. The stinging burn was so potent that I felt for all the porn actresses who did facials every day.

A practiced whistle pierced through the air, which must have been Brandon calling for his Pokémon to return from their escapades in the forest. Were we under attack? Not being able to see fucking anything was incredibly frustrating, and so I tried to stumble to my dead feet. A string of swears left my lips, as my bare toes landed dangerously close to the active firepit, and I could feel the billowing warmth from the flames singe the invisible hairs on my left leg. Leaping back from what easily could have been my death, the discarded chains from earlier tangled their way up my ankles. What followed was a comedy of errors, until I found myself lying on my back in the grass, winded beyond belief. I was accruing a host of these injuries. Luckily, I had scrubbed enough of the semen out of my eyeballs to squint at the dark treeline, only to find a pair of neon-blue orbs floating from the bushes. White stripes connected them, but they intersected in new patterns I was unfamiliar with. It took a good few seconds until I realised what I was looking at. Powerful hooves parted the earth. The zebra was much taller, and his gentle, apologetic smile was meant to assure us that there was no immediate danger.

"Dominic, is that really… you?" Brandon asked, concern and surprise managing to dredge his old self back up from the depths of his corrupted soul. Ignoring the fact that I was close to being strangled again by the chains, the giant dashed towards his treasured companion and laid his hands across his transformed hide. The ease at which he could apply the mask again was impressive. The newly-evolved Zebstrika bowed his head in confirmation and revealed the sparking Emolga clutching onto his huge, bulky shoulders. "What the hell happened…?"

"You won't believe the adventure we've just had!" Zackary giggled, drunkenly swaying the emptied ambrosia bottle towards another figure emerging out from the trees. The squirrel's jolly words were accompanied by a series of hiccups and burps, as he waved at the guilty Manectric who padded next to the firepit. The golden glow illuminated his muzzle that was soaked in fresh blood and strips of flesh, lined with black fur. The canine's ears swivelled down in displeasure, as a piece of the offal dangled from his fangs. Smudges of white created a stark contrast against the blood and guts. I knew it was semen. "Where should I even start?"


	18. King of Heaven

"Indra… you're thinking about Alex, aren't you? Do you think he'll be okay?"

The question only came when the team was out of earshot, and the gentle glow of the firelight had been hidden by rows of trees. He looked over at the zebra trotting carefully across a patch of thorns and brambles, and had to tighten his gaze. His eyesight wasn't what it used to be, so it took a few minutes to adjust in the darkness. The Blitzle's circular disks of blue examined him in the ensuing pause, as Indra couldn't help but blink a few times. Dominic's eyes could often be too bright to stare at directly, but even his friendly, yellow sclera had dulled over due to concern for the human they had left behind. Indra believed that his teammate's worry was unusually justified, since he had been watching Alex for most of the day. It seemed like the boy had not been briefed on the dangers of being alone with his trainer, so he would be in for quite the nasty surprise. However, he wasn't going to let such apprehension show on his lips. He never let weakness show in front of the two other electric types. Zackary wouldn't have even noticed it, as he was still preoccupied with chugging down fizzy mouthfuls of alcohol.

"Brandon took the time to water down the ambrosia, which happens rarely," he replied, after what felt like an eternity of staring into Dominic's eyes. If the zebra had decided to ask him a question so openly, he must really have been worried. Emotion made him uncomfortable, and so his gaze retreated upwards to the bottle clutched in Zackary's sticky fingers. Even though he kept his distance, he was still able to smell the gross sourness of the lemonade and vodka. He wrinkled his wetted nose, as the Emolga continued to drink without a care. "I think that he learned his lesson from last time with Nicholas. He shouldn't lose control like that anymore."

"Yeah, but… Cole knew what he was getting into, though…" the zebra snorted, whipping his lengthy neck from side to side in frustration. His nostrils flared, while they blasted out steam. Zackary bounced roughly across his leathery back, but nothing could tear his puckered mouth away from the bottle of ambrosia. He gargled out a childish protest, and sent a sea of bubbles overflowing onto his chest. After tugging on Dominic's white mane, the zebra started to flash in a familiar display of nervousness. Indra knew he was trying to hold back a spooked gallop. "Zack – do you want me throw you off!? Anyway, I just hope that he goes easy with the toys, since some of them can be tough, even for us. Can you remember what he used last month?"

"Asking what he didn't use would be easier," Indra sighed, thinking back to the day when his master revealed his host of sexual troubles. It was one of the rare times he had seen Brandon get upset since reaching adulthood, so it had stuck with him. He couldn't begin to understand. His trainer always treated him with love and respect, even tenderness, but the same could not be said for his human partners. The Manectric was not the type of Pokémon to pry so deeply into private matters, and so he just accepted this side of the man he had been with since birth. "I knew that Nicholas had requested the blindfold and the ball-gag, but I remember coming back to see him with the speculum and weights as well. Could have been worse, I suppose."

"Don't forget the funnel!" Zackary interjected, trapping most of his squeaky voice inside the bottle, which was nearly empty, to Indra's chagrin. Even though he had been trying to keep track of its contents, the mischevious squirrel had managed to sneak an entire quarter during the short conversation. The worst aspects of his personality were only amplified by the liquor. His patience had worn thin, once the Emolga decided to taunt him by shaking his rump and taking another blatant sip of the ambrosia. A growl escaped him, which caused him to yelp.

"Alright, Zack! You've had more than enough!" he ordered, stamping one of his paws down and snapping a fallen branch. He tried to contain his bristling, electrical ferocity by disguising it as prudishness, but it never worked. He had lost count of how many times he had gone too far in reprimanding the squirrel, causing him to burst into tears. It usually happened in the presence of their trainer, as the Emolga had the amazing ability to turn on the waterworks whenever it was beneficial for him. Because of this, they had never slept together, as Indra had always viewed him as nothing more than a snivelling infant. Although, no matter how annoying he was, anyone added to the pack deserved support, even in the form of tough love. "I don't care what kind of excuses you come up with, it's still dangerous for you to drink all of that in just a few minutes. Come on, hurry up and give over the rest of it before you burst."

"I swear, you really do sound like Brandon sometimes," Dominic whinnied, as the rebuked Emolga pouted and shoved the bottle into his mount's black, bulbous snout. Indra was only able to recognise that as a sound of laughter due to their years spent together. He would let that comment slide, since it seemed to make him feel less nervous. The zebra vigorously lapped at the flowing stream of alcohol with his lengthy tongue. Most of it was pouring out onto the grass, as the clumsy squirrel still hadn't improved as the trio's only pair of hands. Zackary rubbed at his snotty nose with one hand, before finally tipping the bottle back down. "You sure you don't want any of this? We got the big bottle this time, so I need some help."

"Maybe just a couple sips," he said, conceding to the dryness in the back of his throat that was starting to stifle his olfactory senses. He had never enjoyed addling his judgement with ambrosia, and someone had to remain aware in this forest, just in case they were attacked. Numerous unsettling scents had stained this area recently, such as sweat and blood, but he wouldn't be rattled by such things. His nose was so powerful that he could be picking up trails that were from many weeks ago. Usually, this area of the forest was devoid of them. Limiting their time here was for the best. "Let's drain the bottle and then return to the tent. Tonight's going to get pretty cold, judging from the air. We can explore tomorrow morning."

"Ugh, you're so old and boring!" Zackary insulted, but he still vaulted off of the zebra's back and tumbled onto the ground. With his body weighted down by the bottle, he didn't manage to float very far on his outstretched flaps. Dusting himself off with a grumble, he eventually staggered his way over and presented the ambrosia. There wasn't even enough liquid for one mouthful, let alone two. However, he wouldn't complain anymore. "I wanted an adventure!"

Apparently, the Emolga felt too betrayed to expect an answer, as he impatiently unloaded the dregs of the bottle onto his muzzle. Indra didn't appreciate that he was being treated with so much spite from a young Pokémon, but he had to open his jaws to catch the shower of drops, rather than offering a razor-tongued response. Once he accepted the dribble of potent alcohol, he had to fight back a shiver of disgust as the bitter fluid assaulted his taste buds. Even when it was diluted, he thought the taste was revolting. His palate had always been sensitive, and the vodka inside the concoction made it feel like he was drinking poison. He tried to grimace and convince himself that it was pleasant. Thankfully, the thin, watered-down ambrosia soon radiated out from his throat in a warm, addictive buzz. No matter how many times he was granted a taste of the Blissey egg, he always found it heavenly. Although, the wolf could do without the shifts in mood, as he was inflicted with a grin. His fangs were not meant for that. At least he was able to stop his tail from wagging, as his two teammates often found it funny.

"I'm gonna have to agree with Indra on this one," the zebra huffed. Now that his senses had been roused by the ambrosia, he was able to hear the sound of the Blitzle's chattering teeth. His pronged tail began to wiggle in response to the plummeting temperature, as he wasn't blessed with the same, fuzzy coat that they possessed. "We've only been out for a few minutes, and there's already a pebble stuck in one of my hooves. Adventures are way better during the day anyway, Zack. There's plenty of fun that we can have back at the campsite, and hey, maybe I'll let you be the top this time. This ambrosia is already working its magic."

Indra was barely listening to the others, as he had just finished licking at his turquoise jowls and shaking the last droplets of ambrosia away from his whiskers. Satisfied, he turned swiftly to make his way back to the firepit, hoping they would follow. His fangs were bared outward on his lips, in the ghost of a smile. One that nobody would see. The muddied scent of smoke, charcoal and skin indicative of the glade only wafted across his nose for a split second, before it was suddenly overpowered by something else. He sniffed, deeper this time. It managed to be gentle and unsettling at the same time, like a mysterious invitation. Allowing the ambrosia to tug at his cautious veins and pull him towards the unidentifiable scent, he stopped in his tracks and slammed his face into the ground. There was an enigma hidden within the grass, and he was going to find it. Trusting his nose, it steadily took him over to the base of a tree, one that he had already claimed in the past. He resisted the urge to raise one of his hind legs, instead nuzzling the bristling fur on his neck across the scent. His coat started to spark wildly.

"Looks like Indra's onto something," he heard, in a voice he knew to be Dominic's, but it sounded distant and murky. "Okay, let's go on ahead until he's finished with his marking."

The moment that his snout brushed against the bark, he was offered a flood of the scent that sent his instincts into overdrive. Unable to escape it now, it seeped through his airways until it lodged itself in his brain and hijacked his reasoning. The smell of game and musk, which Indra had only smelled in particular areas at the ranch, beckoned him away from his friends. Brandon had always attempted to keep him away from these types of situations, and so, he knew what was going to happen to him. He knew what this was. It was the complex scent of a female in season, and one who shared a similar physiology to him, too. A barrage of acrid, canine pheromones opened up a new world of pathways and tracks, all of them leading down into the deepest sections of the forest. Already, he could feel motion in his sheath, as he ran headfirst into more pockets of the scent, sprinkled here and there, on trees and inside bushes.

Thoughts of returning safely to the others were gone, as the sounds of Dominic and Zackary calling for him had now disappeared. Indra was scarily unsure how long he had been running through the underbrush, but his ankles were starting to ache. Even though he was far past his prime as a male specimen, he desperately wanted to find the prize that was awaiting him in the heart of this place, so this beastly desire would dissipate. Due to his experience, he knew that he had been driven into a frenzy unbecoming of his beliefs, but he was also aware of how to cease this nonsense in a pleasurable manner. As he cleared upturned roots and wet stones, the scent of desire and availability grew more pungent. This was a golden opportunity, that he was sure others would be trying to take advantage of. However, he was strong enough to beat the other competitors into submission. He felt a joyous youth again, as he stopped thinking and started sprinting, the stiff presence between his legs only slowing him down by seconds.

The night carried on, until he discovered a clearing. The female's scent was enough to make Indra salivate and whine with anticipation. Sticky ropes of drool dangled from his maw, as he slowed down to a creeping pace. Twenty-five years of training had left him very cautious of entering such an unfamiliar area, especially when it was so unguarded. Using the dark, dense treeline as a shield, he peeked into the meadow that was basked in the glittering moonlight. Careful not to disturb any twigs with his claws, he kept himself low to the ground and looked for the source of the arousing smell. He knew that she was here somewhere, and it was only a matter of time before they would court. Her scent had been placed in such a way that she was obviously seeking for suitors to follow her trail. The idea made his blood feel hot and active.

He eventually crawled forwards into the meadow, against his better judgement. Sure enough, on the other end of the peaceful field, was a Mightyena. She was perched on a fallen log that had been softened by years of growing moss, and she was panting deeply. Every strand of her warm, delectable scent culminated in a tangle beneath her tail, that wagged with his presence. Her rough, black coat camouflaged her under the sky, but Indra could tell she was a healthy female from the way that she smelled. She was overflowing with strong hormones, but her posture and the pattern on her body suggested that she was of a low status, maybe pack-less. That would explain why she was seeking for a mate in such a dangerous way, as any canine in this forest would be drawn to the scent of her heat. He felt vulnerable, but his animalistic urges allowed him to approach the sensual dark type, as he displayed his arousal confidently. She reciprocated, and leapt from the hollow log, keeping her rear infuriatingly out of reach.

"You're not the sort of male that I was expecting," she bayed, the discomfort from being in heat evident in the scratchiness to her voice. He decided to keep quiet, and let her come all the way over to sniff and examine at him. Restraint was something that he was familiar with, so supressing the urge to nip at her neck was nothing new. If she truly was of low status, he stood the risk of scaring her off with his actions. "A little too old to be playing the lone wolf, aren't you? Still, you were the first one to find this place, so that means you get to claim me."

She spoke like the head female of a pack, but nothing else about her seemed to indicate that she belonged to a structured group. While he was a pedigree Pokémon, he had learned about the behaviour of canine species in the wild from his conversations with Tyson. Assured by her foolhardy words, he pawed forwards and rubbed his sharp, electrified neck against hers. Expecting her to submit easily, she instead pushed back against his weight, until the two were locked in a stalemate of evolved strength. He couldn't help but draw in another breath of her scent that reinvigorated his lust, and caused him to dominantly nibble at her delicate throat. Indra had never performed this type of courtship before, but it felt oddly natural, like these kind of instructions had been programmed long before his time. The nameless Mightyena's ears flicked in response to his playful biting. His erection surged with the feeling of her fur.

"Better make this one quick, sparky," she moaned, finally relenting from their stalemate and presenting her backside to him. After raising her plump hackles, she pulled away her tail, to expose her puffy sex to the silent, night-time air. Her vulva was red and engorged, slickened with the fluids that had forced him away from his teammates. The grey fur reaching up to her anus had been entirely matted with the sticky juices. She reeked of desperation, which lead him to believe that she was reaching the final days of her season. "Others have been chasing me through this forest for a couple days now, and they won't enjoy having their prey stolen."

Unfazed by her comments, Indra took a moment to revel in the Mightyena's scent, as he rubbed his sensitive nose against both of her holes. As her thick, hypnotic juices oozed their way into his nostrils, it only spurred him to plunge his snout deeper to taste her very essence. He washed out the residue from the disgusting ambrosia by lapping at the dark type's mound, and drinking from her drenched opening. His taste-buds were soon drowned in her heavenly hormones, that stirred his desires into a frenzy. It was a primal urge that the old Manectric had never felt before. It had to relate to breeding. She was at her most fertile, and Indra had never once furthered the advance of his own genes. He needed to fill this willing female with spurts of his virile seed, as he may never get this opportunity again in his life. Was this desire driven by his own newfound wants and feelings, or was it a basic response to her chemicals?

No matter the reason, Indra succumbed to his brutish instincts that had been revealed by the ambrosia, and mounted the bitch with ruthless agility. She was delicate for a Mightyena, and strained under his significant weight, while his front paws scratched across her dirtied back. Even so, she managed to maintain an open posture, with her legs spread wide, which made it easy for Indra to locate her entrance with a few, violent jabs of his shaft. While his pointed member slid across her folds, he watched the female's muscles tremble and twitch due to the jolts of electricity sputtering from his claws. The static energy that surrounded the sharpest angles of his body caused the sparks to dance and fly across her coat, nearly repelling the two from each other. The Manectric bared his fangs to control his output, before burying himself inside the snatch of the mysterious mate he had found. She felt quite different from all of the other females he had penetrated. There was more to push aside. Her walls were much thicker.

This new, resistant sensation staggered the old wolf, as her seasoned pussy had already began to milk softly at his cock. He snarled out a loud, warm breath that was showered in sparks, as it felt like the Mightyena was attempting to coax out his knot even before he started thrusting. Gentle, methodical ripples of her flesh caressed against him, until he could feel a faint tickle radiate from his bouncing testes. As peculiar as this was, Indra guessed that it was a natural reaction from a bitch who was nearing the end of her heat. Although he had nearly been taken with a similar, frantic wish for release, he wasn't going to let this female use him just for that. Exerting his limitless power, he relaxed his body for just a moment, until a grating clash of electricity brightened their surroundings. The sound of his balls slapping against her wet cunt had been muffled by a thunderclap, as he sank his fangs harmlessly into her frightened neck. He felt a quiet, subdued yipe slither out of her throat, that coincided with a tightening of her hole and a pleasured swish of her tail. Music to his ears. The only kind that he even enjoyed.

"Listen to me – I will release my seed when I am ready," he growled into the bitch's ear, after doubling down on his powerful thrusts that made her convulse. The frantic, milking sensation disappeared with his words, as her entire body seemed to fall limp. The Manectric was free to pound away at the female's throbbing mound at his leisure. Her instincts would have surely overwhelmed any other male inside this forest, but he had performed some kind of sexual act, every single night, for the past fifteen years. He clarified his wealth of experience by letting the beginnings of his huge, crimson knot widen against her hole, before pulling it back again. He was not some manipulated stripling who would offer up some of their ejaculate at the first instance of pleasure. He was not a slave to the Blissey egg and alcohol that had been pumping through his system. Only one being was allowed to control him, and he was back at the glade.

Every time that his dick delved further into her core, she would release even more of the alluring hormones in a lengthy spray that drenched his lower half. Indra had always hated the feeling of moistened fur, but it wasn't enough to ruin the enjoyment of draining this female's composure with each practiced shock. With a particularly accurate thrust, it seemed like he had just pierced through an inner dam. She whined, as her whole body quivered ferociously. Her vaginal fluids only served to increase the conductivity between them, and prolong the bitch's paralysis. He didn't have to focus on jolting her anymore. The scent of her juices that wafted up from her thighs made his white, electrified claws curl inwards and his eyes flutter, but he would be swayed no further. Becoming so entranced by her pheromones was a brief moment of weakness, and nothing more. He had been given a chance to indulge his urges, and by inseminating this female, he would become the rightful king of this heaven that he had been lured into. The other males had failed in their conquest. He, an outsider, had triumphed.

The fundamental satisfaction of dominance brought him much closer to a climax than simple touches of flesh ever could. The female was too enamoured with his performance to notice that his large tongue had lolled out from his jaws. Indra panted feverishly, as he chased the goal of filling the Mightyena's womb with his semen. As he continued to hump at the dark type with a sustained rhythm, his heart thundered against the stifling confines of his ribcage. Despite the frigid chill that had swept through the forest, their midnight tryst had aroused the flow of his voltaic blood, which rushed down to reinforce his knot. Transient, popping sparks of electricity twirled across his veiny cock, as its base swelled to intrude on his mate's pussy. With each passing second, it grew more difficult to wrestle back control over his abilities, as spears of lightning started to strike and singe the grass. If he wasn't careful, he could kill her.

Like with every orgasm, Indra had to concentrate. The moment that he became locked inside the bitch who was whining and shivering below him, he absorbed each eruption of electricity. The rapturous storm of thunder and lightning was quelled inside of his coat, as the Manectric transformed into a glowing mass of sharpened, vibrating spines. The energy coursing through his body threatened to overwhelm his fragile mate, but her muscles still contracted in a circle to stimulate the flow of his semen. He unleashed a howl which could have pierced the clouds, as thick ropes of his seed were forcibly pulled out of his pulsating cock. The bitch desperately accepted each new spurt of cum that flowed into her womb, with not a single droplet wasted. Standing upon her trembling shoulders, Indra looked proudly upon the Mightyena who was struggling not to collapse onto the grass, saturated with her own juices. The two canines had been trapped together, by the remnants of fizzling electricity, and from Indra's bulbous knot. He was still wracked with the urge to thrust, and fire off weakened strands of seed, until she had drained his balls completely. Eventually, with his spirit waned, he dismounted from her.

They were still tethered to each other. Indra had mated with countless different Pokémon, so he had grown familiar with the process of pulling out his knot with a small amount of effort. Most of the pressure was created on his end, which could be solved by simply backing away and becoming freed after a few seconds of pain. However, even as he strained to dislodge his softening cock, this female's seasoned entrance actively constricted him. Strange. It wasn't his knot that was keeping them interlinked… it was her inner muscles. Every so often, she would squeeze him in a subtle apology, as his electricity had stunned her into uneasy silence. Indra was left facing in the opposite direction from the Mightyena, staring out into the dark treeline and waiting to be released from her clutches. Should he try to interrupt this silence with some reassuring words? The wolf hated small talk, and wanted to return to the campsite.

Before he got the chance to say anything to the needy female, Indra caught the faintest whiff of a new presence somewhere in the clearing. Even though the scent of their sexual fluids and sweat had blanketed this area in a dense miasma, he was able to discern the coppery notes of blood and decomposing meat. The Mightyena seemed to sense something was wrong as well, as she renewed her efforts to free them both. He desperately wanted to spring into action and confront whatever stranger was stalking them, but if he tried, she could be seriously injured. He was able to hear them, but unable to see them. The afterglow of the orgasm was playing tricks on his senses, and his mate's panicked whining made it impossible to locate the noise. The only warning he was offered was the familiar sound of heavy, rugged claws scraping on the ground, rending twigs apart with ease. Indra bared his fangs, and snarled with the hope of scaring the dark, hostile presence away. His glowing body was still carrying a lethal voltage.

"This night must be fuckin' cursed, or something," said a guttural voice, stained with the type of raw malice that Indra had only heard from wild Pokémon. It was an unsettling tone that had been shaped by years of hunting innocents and wreaking havoc. He whirled around, as much as his neck would allow, and found another Mightyena crouched amidst his periphery. The stealthy canine was twice the size of the one that he was knotted to, and bore the scars and patterns of a leader. Indra was not foolish. He knew when he was physically outmatched. "First, that deformed Deerling gets away, then we come back to find a dumbass has swooped in to bang the bitch we've been tailing. Good thing you have way more meat on your bones."

"Our boss doesn't accept sloppy seconds," another voice growled. Indra's heart dropped at the sound, as his snarling echoed with less savagery. Since he was outnumbered, his chances of escaping unscathed were next to nothing. He severed his attention away from the biggest threat for less than a second, and glanced at the sea of bloodshot eyes and glinting fangs that weaved under the Mightyena's legs. The high-pitched barking came from a Poochyena with a missing ear, who seemed to speak for the others. He grimaced at the little runt. The presence of their pack leader had inspired them with misplaced confidence. "But, we're not so picky."

The Manectric didn't say anything. He was too busy trying to come up with a strategy, while the gang of dark types ruthlessly surrounded them. His aggressive display would only deter them for so long, as one of the braver runts had already broken formation to nip and harass at his paralysed mate. She had regained enough of her senses to join with his chorus of snarling, which sent the tiny beast scarpering back into the bobbing wave of dark, blood-tinged fur. From the way that she was acting, it was clear that the female didn't belong to this pack, and was probably a new arrival to this forest. She could easily escape if he created a distraction, but he could only discharge his stored electricity once they had been freed from each other. That attack was strong enough to fry those in front of him, and with enough distance, the female would avoid the epicentre of the blast. Indra tried to wrench his knot free once more, but could only wince as the tender flesh was not any closer to popping out of her entrance. The most he could do now was conceal the beginnings of a Thunder Fang inside his jaws, and wait for the scarred Mightyena to go for his throat. No doubt, he wanted to revel in the glory.

"All of that howling from earlier lead us right to you," the pack leader gloated, pushing aside a jeering group of his underlings. The stench of rot and death rolled across his tongue, as the Mightyena came inches away from his face. A little closer, and he could lurch forwards, and rip out the bastard's throat. The old wolf would teach him that audacity was followed by regret, even if he was prepared for the rest of the gang to attack him afterwards. He had made it out of worse situations, in his younger days. "It's too late now, but you really should've controlled yourself better, you know? Every Pokémon inside this forest must've heard you."

"Oh, go to hell!" the female Mightyena cried. She stopped her feeble attempts to break free, and struggled to rise up to her full height. Amidst the strikes of electricity, the fur on her back bristled furiously, and she turned around to face the dark type. "I'd much rather mate with a lone wolf who is brave enough to be loud, than some asshole who needs a horde of puppies to feel powerful. How long were you waiting in those trees, huh? Watching us like a total beta?"

Indra's fangs, laden with the sparks that were meant to invade the veins of their hunter, sunk into his wide tongue instead. He stifled a yelp that belied his age and experience, as the feisty female pulled him around by his knot. The leader of the pack stopped just short of his attack range, and shifted his attention to the one hurling insults at him. The Manectric's opportunity for a coup de grâce had slipped through his claws, and he was tempted to call out his mate's hot-headed inexperience. However, he needed to stay alert to find a way out of this situation. As the scarred Mightyena padded eerily into his blind spot, he read his expression once more. The fleshy, ancient cuts on his face had contorted into a horrible scowl, as he approached the flank of the panting female. Indra's gaze darted around, first to the mutts that had turned even more ravenous by the inaction of their leader, and then to the treeline. There was no way out.

"Tough words coming from someone who has a cock stuck inside them," he snarled, causing a few of his minions to snicker and cheer. Indra couldn't focus anymore. Sounds and scents were flooding in from every direction, even as he desperately tried to keep hold of them all. One of his legs wobbled. He tried to conceal the display from the pack, but the Poochyena with the torn ear noticed immediately. A globule of saliva seeped from his lips, as he crept towards the failing limb with sanguine lust. "Listen, bitch. I was gonna let you live after my boys had finished with you, but now, I'm starting to reconsider. Warm holes are good to keep around, but only if they don't talk back. Both of you will just have to fill our bellies tonight."

The malice reached a crescendo, as they had prepared to pounce. Indra resisted the urge to close his eyes. He was going to stare death in the face. There wasn't enough time to gather all of the static in his fur and unleash such a huge Discharge now, but he still had Thunder Fang. Taking a measly Poochyena to the grave with him would be his final act of defiance, and he was aiming for the bastard with the torn ear. He opened his mouth, and let the sparks leak out into the clearing. As the pleasant feeling of electricity tickled through his skin, the Manectric thought of Brandon, back at the campsite. He wondered what he was up to, whether he was able to contain himself like he had promised. Indra's heart dipped, but he wouldn't be halted. An unrestrained growl shredded across his throat, as the horde of hounds barrelled forwards.

"Dom – here's the Shock Wave!"

First, a squeak from above the trees. Then, a glimmering blanket of weak, pitiful sparks that rained down onto the crowd of Poochyena. Some of them looked up in bewilderment at the drizzle that bounced away from their coats, and others were already smart enough to flee for cover inside the bushes nearby. Indra seized the brief opportunity to drag himself back into the Mightyena's eyeline, to find him retreating warily from the faint, deceptive lightshow. Maybe it was good that the wild Pokémon had never witnessed an electrical attack before tonight, because a trained one would laugh and shrug off that kind of attack. The Manectric knew how his teammate operated though, and after only a few moments, most of the pack was rooted in place by the downpour of electricity. Zackary had learned how to use his small output of voltage to his advantage, only after many years of guidance. Hope returned to the wolf's weary soul, as it seemed like Arceus had been merciful on him, despite his selfishness.

"What the fuck?" was all the scarred Mightyena managed to exclaim, before he was utterly blindsided by a galloping zebra. Despite his hesitant, nervous expression, Dominic was able to masterfully coordinate his headbutt with the remaining flash of Zackary's Shock Wave, to rattle the pack leader's sense of direction. His other teammate mercilessly pushed him down, to be trampled by his hooves, that could effortlessly crush bone. The dark type surpassed the zebra in size and weight, but that didn't matter, as his momentum had been enhanced by the supernatural licks of fire and smoke shrouding his legs. Flame Charge meant that each impact branded the body of the canine caught beneath them, who uselessly rolled across the clearing. As the stinking smog cleared from the area, Indra noticed that both of his front legs had been mangled beyond repair, and he was barely clinging to consciousness. He looked up, terrified.

"Hmmm… cursed," Indra said, feeling his knot begin to loosen inside the female. Since his Thunder Fang had been prepared long in advance, the pervasive sparks transformed his voice into a grating explosion of dominance. When he was being raised to protect his master, even before the birth, Indra had been told stories of a mighty lord, who ruled a domain in the sky. He had been named after this being, and it was the first time the Manectric felt like he had lived up to such a title. He looked down at the peasant below him. "Maybe you were right."

His cock popped out of his mate, and prematurely splattered his belly with semen. Ignoring the last surge in his erection, that refused to retreat inside his sheath, he lunged forwards and submerged his teeth into the Mightyena's neck. He let the thunder leave the enamel on his fangs, and competently guided it into his convulsing veins. His victim's eyes glazed over, as his system was overloaded with electricity. Warm, fizzing blood spurted into his maw, as he took a moment to wriggle his snout further into the delicate flesh. He had missed this kind of savagery. Fishing up a lethargic Magikarp just wasn't the same as this. He could nearly feel the last moment of the hound's miserable life, before he ripped away a decisive mouthful. Strands of the jugular twitched along with the current, and Indra soon found that the skin left a rancid taste in his mouth, once a majority of the fluids had leaked out. He spat the strips of flesh back onto the Mightyena's fading body, as he couldn't bring himself to swallow more. Dark types often tasted more spoiled than others, so the experience was rather unsatisfying.

Indra's revenge had only lasted for mere seconds, but that was enough time for the nameless female to flee deeper into the forest. Her scent still lingered, but she was nowhere to be found when the apathetic Manectric padded away from the corpse. Death was not a concept which bothered the wolf anymore, but he was aware that his other teammates still had their issues with accepting it. Quite funny, since he was the pedigree pet, and they were the wild beasts. The further he got from the deceased Mightyena, the more his sense of smell started to return. He gave a final, wistful sniff at his mate's juices, and then promptly willed himself to forget. That kind of thing was extremely easy for him these days. He couldn't blame the girl for prioritising her own safety, but it had been a long time since a sexual encounter had felt so… aimless and casual, especially one that could result in an egg. He hoped that if she discovered a new life growing inside of her, she would move to a safer area. Closer to Lilycove, anyway.

Only a scant few Poochyena were left in the clearing. Those who were already weak enough to succumb to the Shock Wave had been paralysed into statues. They blinked in alarm while he passed by their defenceless bodies, but he would allow these ones to live, since his desire for a kill had been soured. Some were still mourning the death of their idiotic leader from the shelter of the treeline, but Indra knew he would soon be replaced. The Poochyena with the torn ear looked to be the most likely candidate, as he had expertly dodged the Shock Wave, and was now standing without concealment next to the mossy log. The runt glared daggers at the Manectric, before disappearing into the darkness, ushering a couple followers behind him. Maybe they would have to stop these excursions into the thickest parts of the forest, as the vengefulness of their species was not to be underestimated. Indra felt very close to collapsing.

However, something else startled him back into lucidity. The moment that he turned around to check on Dominic, the zebra became basked in a thrumming, white light that blinded him. While his vision started to return in disorientating waves, he watched as his teammate's body changed in countless different ways. No matter how many times he watched an evolution, it always inspired feelings of fear and fascination within him. It had been a decade, but he could remember the sensations of limitless power. A life-changing awakening, that left you feeling like an outsider in your own body for a while. He gulped. How would Dominic handle this?

The first thing to shift were his ankles, which grew like shoots of bamboo, until he towered over the group of paralysed Poochyena. His equine manhood also grew to better represent his bulky stature, and was nothing like his own anymore. The orbs near his back legs ballooned, and his footlong shaft started to swing, as Dominic repeatedly bucked his distorted haunches. His snout also lengthened out, and was no longer humorously bulbous, something Zackary couldn't tease him about anymore. In fact, everything that the wolf associated with his friend seemed to change in an instant. His rotund, harmless silhouette sharpened into a unique form that was much more suited for combat and displays of strength. For instance, his tail, that was normally so rigid it could barely even wiggle, had fanned out into a spiky, flanged weapon. The zebra's pronged mane was the last thing to morph in the light, striking up the length of his elongated spine like a heavenly arrow. Eventually, it split apart, into two, lengthy horns.

"Finally, I've been waiting for this!" Zackary squealed, diving out of the treetops, and easily landing on the zebra's back, before the evolution even finished. The rascal was still clutching onto the empty bottle of ambrosia like it was a safety blanket. His chubby, dotted cheeks turned a shade of pink, before he was also enveloped in the light. He embraced his treasured steed, and in a surprising turn of events, it managed to calm him. Steadily, the zebra stopped his bucking, until he was visible in all of his new, mighty glory. "You're so big now, Dom!"

"You should be hugging Indra, not me," Dominic replied. His voice was much deeper, and didn't nervously waver as much. While evolution didn't encourage many drastic changes in those who retained their typing, it usually did give younger individuals more confidence. It might have been wishful thinking, but Indra hoped that the zebra's days of being terrified by plastic bags and traffic cones had come to an end. Still, he stood awkwardly in his new form. "It's a miracle that he made it out alive. If we had arrived just a little later, he could have been the one lying in the grass right now. You are okay, right? None of them got to you…?"

"I managed to keep them away," he stated, hiding his guilt and shame by trying to rid his teeth of the dirty, foul-smelling locks of fur. One more reason why he preferred to eat fish. He was taken aback that the zebra was not more emotional about his sudden transformation, but it made sense in this situation. His actions had endangered them all, even though he was meant to be the leader of their pack. The promise to protect them had been hollow when he was given an opportunity to relive his youth. Maybe he would have deserved the retribution from the hounds, for his foolish pursuit of a mate. The two must have sensed his hesitation, as they approached at a slow, gentle pace. Indra averted his gaze, back to the motionless corpse.

"You didn't have to lie about the adventure!" Zackary shouted, not allowing the wolf to wallow in his own unhappiness. The squirrel had the emotional complexity of an infant, but that was a benefit in some regards. He marvelled innocently at all of the residual sparks and patches of singed grass, as he waved the bottle around. "This was like that time in Nimbasa, when you chased after that sexy Herdier, and got Brandon in lots and lots of trouble, isn't it?"

He didn't know whether to snarl or smile. That incident happened in the first week they had been introduced to each other. Both him and his master had changed a lot since then, and so a tingle of embarrassment made the Manectric's ears twitch. Their time spent in Unova felt like more than a lifetime ago, and while that period in their lives had a lot of problems, it was still nostalgic to think about. Zackary had unearthed that memory with a carefree simplicity which confused Indra. There was a dead body right next to them. The worst thing that happened last time was that Brandon received a slap from the Herdier's owner. This time, a life had been snuffed out due to his inability to control his urges, even if that life was ultimately despicable. They should be scolding him for making the same mistake as before, not happily reminiscing. Neither of their opinions had changed. They looked at him in the same way they always did.

Strange, bittersweet emotions of gratitude threatened to bring him to tears, as his nose started to bubble and run. Deciding to risk a sniffle, he pawed over to meet his two friends halfway, so they wouldn't have to approach the corpse. The zebra had already started to slow down into a gingerly canter, as the pool of crimson fluid worsened beneath them with every second. They should try to get out of here as soon as possible, but Indra just wanted a rare moment of comradery and solace with his dearest friends. He broke into a run. His vision turned cloudy. Even though Dominic looked a lot more intimidating than before, his eyes were still friendly and gentle, which was demonstrated once he bowed downwards. Zackary slid down his neck like it was a ride for children at a carnival, and the three collided in a hug. The ambrosia had softened each of their hearts tonight, since this didn't happen very often. Indra sighed shakily.

"Everything will be okay, we can talk more about it back at the campsite," Dominic assured, his volume managing to mask most of the Manectric's laboured breathing. Zackary nodded along with the confident words, and played quietly with the spike of fur atop Indra's head, in his own form of encouragement. The seriousness of what they had done at the clearing began to wash over the group, as they embraced each other. Try as he might to bite back his sobs of regret and anguish, they kept finding ways to escape. Finally, he let himself go into the mane of his teammate, until he received a sensitive nuzzle on his blood-soaked face. That felt nice. "Let's head out of here once we calm down, alright? Brandon's gonna be upset that we didn't catch my evolution on camera, too. Maybe we could do some kind of re-enactment for him?"

Indra couldn't help it. A scratchy chuckle interrupted the sobbing, and continued for a while.


	19. Cruiserweight

The sweet, morning birdsong was the first sound that lured me away from slumber. The faint symphony of chirrups and trills were appreciated by my ears, as I had gotten far too familiar with the incessant screaming of the Wingulls that terrorized Lilycove. Images of the species capable of producing such wonderful music replaced a confusing dream of fire and chains. Probably a male Swellow who was chatting up the females in the area. Fragmented melodies continued from every direction, and it soon made me think of Eloise. She didn't sing very often, perhaps due to the lack of a teacher. Maybe I should take her back to see Esther for some singing lessons. The mundanity of the idea made me wake with a start. Usually, I could feel her cloudy wings snuggled into the nape of my neck. This time, she was notably missing. My eyes fluttered open to be met with sunlight filtering through a canvas ceiling, repeatedly blinding me as the canopy of trees swayed in the breeze. Faint tickles of the fresh, outdoor air made my bare feet retreat for warmth under the blankets. Somebody had opened the tent flap.

That's right. I had been camping with Brandon. I found myself swaddled in a thin fleece, like one you would wrap a new-born in. The old fabric had a cutesy design of Pikachus frolicking around in a meadow, and I was starting to get sick of that theme. Nearly everything that he owned had to involve the electric mouse in some way, even though he didn't even train one. Gearing myself up for a bemused sigh, his characteristic scent of mint shampoo and varnish flooded into my nostrils. One of his massive, hairy arms had been placed protectively across my chest, reminding me of the strength that he used to dominate. Even without any power put into the tanned limb, it was like getting crushed by an anvil. I shuddered and tried to wriggle free, until he eventually rolled over without a pause in his snoring. His blanket unfurled from his waist and exposed his square-shaped rear, prompting me to look away. Too early for that.

Before I propped myself against a folded pillow, I couldn't help but yawn widely in response to the hangover. Even while watered down, it still packed a punch. Well, it felt more like a Force Palm from a Hariyama. Suffering in silence, I brushed a hand against my hairless chin. There was a strange, unsettling sensation of something that wasn't skin. Looking down with so much alarm that it nearly put me back to sleep, I found that some of my fingers had been covered with baby-pink plasters. A white bandage covered one of my wrists, and from the looks of the red blotches, it had saved the Pikachu blanket from a long round of scrubbing. Crushed bottles of Gatorade were discarded next to me, clarifying the lingering taste of peach and tangerine in the back of my throat. Packets of painkillers were stacked on a tub of lotion.

The aftercare. Memories of our time after the electric trio returned to the campsite returned to me in embarrassing waves. I could vaguely remember wallowing around in the dirt, covered in copious amounts of semen, while Indra cleansed all of the gore out of his fur in the river. Once Brandon had managed to get a coherent story out of Zackary and ensured that none of us were in any danger, he scooped me up and tucked me away inside the tent. The shock of Dominic's evolution must have brought the man out of his lustful violence, since he spent the rest of the night calming me down and fixing all of his damage. There hadn't been much of a conversation, as I drifted in and out of lucidity. He gently disinfected all of my cuts and scrapes, and even applied a soothing cream onto my bruised opening, despite my reluctance. He made sure that I was hydrated, and that the overwhelming pain was lessening with each hour that passed, into the dead of night. There was a lot of cuddling and reassurance, and not all of it was from him. Indra had settled down at my side, and didn't try to bite my hand off as I played with his soggy ears. Zackary told me stories and secrets. All of it felt very… nice.

And now, it was the next morning. I looked over at Brandon's muscled back, which was partially hidden behind a rippling sea of bedsheets. Since I had retreated to another part of the tent, he had instinctively snuggled across to find the nearest warm body. Indra, softened by all of the petting, had been lying blissfully on his back. I could hardly believe that he had ripped another Pokémon's throat out only a few hours ago. Maybe Zackary had exaggerated parts of his story to make it sound more exciting. Actually, I couldn't see the little rascal, or his newly evolved steed anywhere inside the tent. Neither of them seemed like early risers. One of the Manectric's paws bounced as his trainer wrapped his naked body around him, and the corners of his silvery jowls hitched up into a smile. The two were perfect for each other.

Before going on this trip, or date, or whatever the hell this was, I had a pretty good grasp on what kind of person Brandon was. Positive, gentle, encouraging. Nobody who worked at a business that openly practiced poképhilia could be totally wholesome, but out of everyone, he seemed to be the least consumed by the lust in the air. There had been signs that a lot of his outward nature was performative, as some of his smiles seemed far less genuine than others. We all wore different masks at times, especially in front of new people, but the contrast was the most concerning thing about Brandon. There had to be some kind of reason behind it all, and I still had trouble with accepting that it was necessary for him to punish others to get off. I needed answers, and convincing ones at that. While I waited for him to wake up, a stone of disturbed tension lodged itself in my throat. Was he expecting me to question him about it?

Thankfully, I didn't have to wait very long to find out, as a hyperactive Emolga exploded out from the opened flap of the tent. I wasn't given the chance to stew in my worries, as I quickly scrambled to conceal my morning wood under the blanket. I wasn't taking any chances since the stash of ambrosia had gone unguarded during the night. Zackary stared at me curiously, as if he was surprised to see that I was awake before Brandon. Before I could say anything back to his glittering, silver eyes, his mouth swiped open in a charming smile. Shrouded in a burst of electricity, he stretched out his rubbery folds and performed a routine of acrobatics for me. His manic laughter was enough to stir a muffled groan out of his trainer, and I couldn't help but snicker at the thought of him having to wake up to this sight every day. Electric types made pretty good alarm clocks. Zackary's time in the air was fleeting, and so he eventually had to tumble over and repeatedly jump on Brandon like he was a bedspring.

"Arceus, Zack… c'mon – that's my stomach!" he cried, lurching up to imprison the electric squirrel within his gargantuan hands. His booming voice made the tent shake, and it almost looked like he was trying to crush his partner. Zackary's feigned attempts to squeal and struggle lead me to believe that it was a game of pretend they both enjoyed. Brandon scowled drowsily at the squirrel for a few seconds. It wasn't long before this scowl turned into a smirk, and then a chuckle. He pinched harshly at Zackary's dotted, chubby cheeks in revenge.

"Ouch, ouch!" the Emolga shrieked, trying to throw his voice across his own tickled laughter. All of the noise was enough to wake Indra up as well, who's angular tail started to wag at the sight of Zackary getting a taste of his own medicine. The playful scene eventually reminded me that Brandon was not some heartless brute, and my worries melted away with the sparks.

"Jumping was supposed to be off-limits, you know?" Brandon murmured, tossing Zackary high into the air, like he was an electrified frisbee. He soared ecstatically across the length of the tent, and landed in a giggling heap next to my feet. Brandon followed up his throw with a bombardment of blankets and pillows, burying the Emolga to silence his wild laughter. "I think we need just a few more minutes of peace and quiet. We'll play around later, okay?"

"Does he do that every morning?" I yawned, watching in amusement as the squirrel tried his hardest to escape from the mountain of soft cushions. I was slightly afraid he didn't have the strength to push his way out, but his circular ears soon emerged, swivelled down with fatigue. Displaying his childish attention span, he stuck his tongue out at Brandon and flipped out of the tent's entrance once again, taking one of the big blankets with him to act as a parachute.

"If I make the mistake of not waking up before him, yeah," Brandon grimaced, while patting down his adorable bedhead. His hair had nearly doubled in its curliness from last night, and along with his missing glasses, it made him look like a different person. The geeky frames hid a lot of the finer details of his face, like his crooked nose. He looked a lot older like this. "Anyway, how are you feeling? It's really important for you to let me know if things are still hurting from last night. We can always do another round of cream if your ass is sore again."

Lines of concern accentuated his cordial smile as he hunted for his glasses. It looked like they had been strung up on one of the high tentpoles, maybe so they wouldn't get crushed at night. He evidently couldn't see me blushing at the mortifying topic, since his smile didn't change. The giant stood up to retrieve them, as unconcerned about his nakedness as ever. Unlike me, he didn't have a morning erection. His wicked desire had been quenched for the time being. Once the glasses were sitting safely on his scarred bridge, he examined me with sleepy eyes. Positive, gentle, encouraging. Truthful qualities for the moment, but I was now aware of what could be lying underneath that. The contradiction was enough to cause an awkward mood to descend on the tent, like a freezing mist. My voice caught in my throat, as I resisted a shiver. Once the pangs from the hangover had disappeared, I could feel a painful, raw sensation that clung onto my back. I had expected to feel something similar down south, but aside from the usual aching and looseness, my ass wasn't bothering me. Why the hell did my back hurt…?

"One round seems like enough," I sighed, looking at the grey container of ointment instead of his nurturing smile. Despite my embarrassment about having it applied, I was pretty amazed that there wasn't much lasting discomfort from the dry penetration. Hannah had made an off-hand comment about the dangers of doing it without lube, so it seemed like I dodged a bullet. Such remedies were probably used a lot at the ranch, and it wouldn't have surprised me if she also kept a tub of it in her bedside table. "My memory of everything that happened after the Pokémon came back is still kind of wonky. Did you take a look at my back? It feels weird."

"I didn't notice anything wrong with it last night, but it was hard to see what I was doing when it was so dark," he replied, guiltily rubbing at the back of his neck. His cheerful smile grew less sure as he stepped over to join me in the hovel of crushed bottles and painkillers. Indra followed after his master, instead of joining the others outside. Wanting reassurance, I beckoned at the Manectric with my bandaged hand until he nuzzled into it with rare affection. "Shit, does that mean you don't remember me apologizing for being way too rough with you? I must have said it like a hundred times, but ambrosia can alter memories, even if its diluted. There's always a chance I messed up on the ratios, too. Ronan's the mixologist, not me…"

"Don't worry, I think a few of them made it through," I said, after a brief pause. His question had dredged up vague notions of him leaning over to whisper countless apologies in my ears. The beginnings of a smirk tugged at the right side of my mouth, but his persistence wouldn't be enough to dissipate the cold tension in the air. An apology wasn't exactly what I had been seeking from him, since the budding psychologist inside of me would only be satisfied by a proper explanation. Working at the ranch had fostered an intense curiosity, and I wanted to learn more about everyone. I needed to know their unfeigned feelings and beliefs.

"Good, that saves me doing another hundred," Brandon chuckled, as he kneeled down to gently peel off the other blanket covering my back. His warm breath tickled at my neck, and I noticed that his voice was even more throaty and hoarse this morning. Focusing on just how pleasant he sounded helped to distract me from the sharp pain that burned into me, as he had some trouble with pulling away the crusted fabric. After leaning forward and sucking air past my gritted teeth, my damaged skin was revealed. He made an odd sound, that was somewhere between a cough and a muttered swear. Then, he covered up those few seconds of hesitancy by clumsily placing a hand on my shoulder and clearing his throat. I felt his thumb and index finger twitch, which wasn't a very encouraging sign. "Damn… okay, it looks like I missed a few scrapes there. Arceus, it's breaking out into a rash. You don't have any allergies, right?"

"Uh… I don't think so," I winced, trying to ignore the tears welling up in my eyes as he gave my back an unsure poke. It nearly felt like he had ripped away the outside layer of my skin along with the blanket. Our bodies got even closer as he reached over to grab a fresh packet of disinfectant wipes. Indra gave me his paw to hold. "It's probably from when you dragged me across the grass. That's just a guess, though. Can you get like… carpet burn from grass?"

"Grass burn? No idea," Brandon responded, a light-hearted cadence returning to his voice as he laid out all sorts of medical supplies. I watched him dig further into his emergency box. Seeing this paternal side to him gave me a sense of nostalgia, and reminded me of my mum, who always coddled me whenever I grazed my knees. "It'll probably take a while for me to get you cleaned up, looking at all these dirt stains. Wanna talk about anything while I work?"

"You already know what I'm gonna ask, don't you?" I questioned, watching as goosebumps coursed their way up my slender arms, in response to the cold, stinging cloth. I could feel his muddy-brown eyes staring down at me, drilling a hole into the back of my head. My grip on Indra's paw tightened, as Brandon dabbed forcefully at the scrape furthest down on my back.

"Well, it's been written on your face for the past five minutes," he said, his tone shifting into a more serious, reluctant drawl. The birdsong above us intensified, as if the Swellow had been challenged by another male. I looked up at the conical ceiling of the tent, catching a glimpse of Brandon's eyes before the glare from the sun concealed them. Their warmth was clouded. "I'm not annoyed at having to talk more about it, or anything. I'd be more concerned if you didn't have questions for me, after what I did to you. There is a story behind it. It's just long."

"People often tell me that I'm a good listener," I encouraged, prompting a quiet snicker from the muscled worker above me. No matter how awkward things could be, we were still friends and colleagues at the ranch. That was something I couldn't forget. "Don't feel pressured into having to pour your heart out. Whatever you choose to share with me will stay totally private. How's that saying go? Whatever happens in the tent, stays in the tent? Something like that."

"Hannah mentioned that you do have a knack for cheering people up," Brandon replied, after he took a deep, slow breath for composure. I gave Indra's paw a final squeeze before letting him return back to his trainer, who needed more support. Throughout all the tension, he was still dutifully cleaning at the wounds on my back. "And you really don't have to worry about keeping any secrets. Everyone else already knows. I think that complacency is why I played around instead of telling you beforehand. Still, a late explanation is better than never giving one at all, I suppose. Please, feel free to interrupt me if the pain starts to get worse, alright?"

I simply nodded, and waited for him to begin.

* * *

Oh, jeez… Where do I even start with this? It's like opening a can of Wurmple. We probably have enough time for my life story, don't we? I'll focus mostly on why I turned out like this. None of it really justifies the things I do, but hopefully it helps you understand me a bit more.

Nowadays, everyone tells me that my sweet face and curly hair don't match my body, but I didn't always look this buff. Back in school, I was a typical, scrawny band geek. I hit my growth spurt pretty early on in highschool and being so lanky meant I sucked at most sports. There was this one time, where our class was forced into playing basketball. It was easily the biggest sport at our school, since lots of guys went on to play professionally after graduating. Our gym teacher told me that I would be really good at it since I was taller than the other kids, but I ended up just tripping over my own legs. Like an idiot, I tried to stop myself from falling with my hands and then broke my wrist in front of everybody, which meant I couldn't play violin for a while. Stupid things like that wouldn't even bother me now, but back then, it was really embarrassing. Nobody wants to cry in front of their peers. After that, I started to become more and more self-conscious. So, after my wrist healed, I mostly just focused on playing music with my friends, rather than trying to stand out to the popular people again.

For a time, things were going okay. But, that same year as my blunder at basketball, puberty really began to mess with me. Things started to get totally confusing, probably since I had been raised mostly in a naturist environment. Being naked and stuff around our property was no big deal when I was younger, but I really didn't want to do it when I became a teenager. That sorta caused some friction with my parents, but I was at that moody age anyway, where I thought all their hippy, new-age teachings were uncool. I didn't understand why I wouldn't feel anything when my friends would talk about girls they liked, but then I would get really nervous whenever we all had to change for swimming class or something. It really freaked me out, since I had never looked twice at a naked boy when we would go to naturist camps. You must have gone through something similar as well, yeah? Swimming, too? Always is!

I didn't really have anyone else to talk to, since my parents would never entertain the idea of me suddenly wanting to stop with the naturist lifestyle. Indra would sit and listen to me crying about it some nights, but he couldn't help. So, I spilled my feelings to my group of friends. They had known a little bit about what my home life was like, since my mum would always leave our lifestyle books and pamphlets lying around every time they would visit us. No answering the door naked or anything like that, but it wasn't like it was a big secret either. Obviously, at that age, they immediately jumped to the conclusion that I was gay, and that rumour eventually spread around like wildfire. My whole family being a bit eccentric became a piece of common knowledge as well. Overnight, I pretty much skyrocketed to the top of the bullying list, and in all honesty, there isn't much blame to throw around. I mean, I was a gay, naturist kid who was obsessed with the violin and could barely walk two feet without falling.

I… well, uh… I don't want to go into everything that happened. You can probably imagine some of the less criminal parts of it. Friends turning their back on me. Lies spiralling out of control until I couldn't go to school anymore. Stuff like that. Eventually, it got so bad that my parents decided to fast-track their plans to move in with our grandparents in Unova. They had been talking about it for a while, since my grandpa was poorly, but watching me get so upset that it was giving me stomach ulcers was the final reason for them. It wasn't like there was anything left for teenage me in Mauville anyway. Couldn't go to the Game Corner, because that's where the worst bullies hung out. Didn't want to go to violin lessons anymore, because I saw it as part of the reason that I was being bullied in the first place. I needed a fresh start.

Arriving in Unova was pretty fun. I had only heard stories of my mum's grandparents, and they turned out to be really awesome. Native Unovans, you know? The first meal that my grandmother cooked for me is still a super vivid memory. She was really skilled at making berries and simple herbs taste amazing. I still can't recreate her berry-mint sauce, which sucks. Anyway, witnessing their culture was the first of many experiences that made me a better person, but at that age, it still wasn't nearly enough. Outside of family matters, I was still very bitter and antisocial. Enduring a year of endless torment left me feeling spiteful, and I wouldn't really try to talk with anyone at my new school. I desperately tried to keep facts about my life from spreading around like last time, and focused more on appearing normal than I did trying to get good grades. Passed music. Passed woodworking. Through a martial arts club, I connected with a kickboxing teacher. Started to work on my body. That's about it. Mostly, I tried to keep my head down and not cause trouble for my parents, since they were so busy with caring for my grandpa. Bottled up some emotions, sure. But that was alright.

Hmm… wait a minute. I'm not being quite honest. Usually, I have to lie to people when it gets to this bit, because I'll scare them away otherwise. You're getting the rare, uncut version that everyone at the ranch deserves. Let me be more specific - I didn't cause much trouble around Nimbasa because I knew the stories would reach them easily. Actually, I took the train to Castelia a lot, using the excuse of kickboxing practice so they wouldn't freak out. See, kickboxing gave me an outlet for some intense anger issues that had been building up for a while, but it didn't satisfy my rebellious streak. Since the drinking age in Unova is twenty-one for some reason, I got a fake ID from one of my martial arts buddies and went to clubs.

I'm not sure why, but I started to flirt and hook up with men who were a lot older than me. Lost my virginity to some biker dude in a disgusting bathroom, who didn't even have enough money to buy a condom from the machine next to the stall. Holy Arceus, Alex – please don't just nod and mumble like this was a sane thing to do. It was a miracle that I didn't contract a nasty disease. You're about the same age as I was back then, so I probably should have seen your total lack of concern coming. I know, I know, you're invincible when you're eighteen. That certainly was part of it, but it mostly came from repressing my sexual side for so long, and wanting to feel like I was in control of things. Experimenting with poképhilia didn't scratch the same itch as cruising for guys did, so gloryholes and barfights were the norm. Ah… you've noticed the nose by now, haven't you? After a particularly violent brawl, it had been twisted into a ninety-degree angle. Not wanting to deal with the medical bills that came with living in Unova, I re-aligned it myself after some shots of vodka. Never healed correctly, but it was a good way to get me to stop picking fights. At least my glasses help to cover it up.

Oh yeah, my first relationship was with a guy that I met this way. He was much closer to my age and could actually be quite sweet. He introduced me to a lot of the kinky behaviour that I showed you last night, so that's where it started. After trying out every fetish under the sun with him and some other regulars, I realised that I pretty much desensitised myself to it all. There was a period of time where I couldn't even get an erection without the sex having some element of danger or risk, which was crazy. Masturbating was always a huge hassle, since I had to waste one of my mum's good candles or something for it. Sharp objects worked too. I've gotten a lot better about it over the past few years, but that element of power that I can have over men is still addictive. I don't enjoy vanilla sex anymore. Well, maybe I never have.

Most of the sex-related stuff has been covered, I think. Let's see… you probably don't want to hear much about my crappy job as a ride operator at the Nimbasa carnival. It was quite fun at first, but after a month, it just turned into cleaning up puke and dealing with lost property. Just thinking about it is enough to give me goosebumps. The smell of popcorn and hot dogs still makes me gag, even all these years later. The only good thing about that job was the day when a certain Emolga was caught stealing bags of cotton candy from the confectionary area. He probably would have escaped with them all too since he had somehow managed to coerce a frightened Blitzle into joining his heist. After chasing them through the park until midnight, I had no choice but to launch a couple of Pokéballs in their direction, and the rest is history.

After that, most of my time was devoted to working with Zack and Dom. I had no experience in training wild Pokémon, since Indra had been taught by my parents. Learning to look after a pair of disobedient electric types helped me to stop all the dangerous stuff I had been doing. Zack, especially, was a handful. Despite my efforts, he still has sticky fingers, so if you ever lose anything at the lodge, check to see if he's been sneaking around first. But, yeah, teaching him how to behave made me realise that I wasn't much different, and I started to calm down.

I moved back to Hoenn alone after both of my grandparents died, and things ended with my boyfriend not too long after that. We gave long-distance a shot, but it really wasn't our style. Mauville still left a bad taste in my mouth, so after cashing in all my earnings from Unova, I travelled down to Slateport to keep myself in high spirits. Have I told you how much I love the beach yet? There's this amazing naturist one in Slateport, so I became a beach-bum for a while, trading unprotected anal sex in a dark bathroom for naked busking in the morning sun. Even though I had stopped playing the violin more than a decade ago, my love for music had never went away, so my guitar skills were enough to keep me afloat. People who owned stalls and kiosks out on the boardwalk paid me to play sometimes, when I wasn't at the beachfront. It was decent enough money to feed four mouths, and we camped under the stars every night. I bought Zack a cheap tambourine, before he got ideas about stealing one to join in with me. You could say I reached a state of zen for a while, I guess. Grew a topknot and a huge beard, and went hiking around all of the popular Pokémon hotspots. Most people thought I was nuts.

Maybe, I would still be busking and living out of a tent if Thomas hadn't heard me playing down at the beach. He left one of his glossy business cards inside of my guitar case instead of the usual spare change. Sorry, that still makes me laugh. He didn't try to have a conversation with me or anything, and left before I had even noticed he was there. Looking back on it now, he was probably embarrassed to be at that beach. He hates to be out of a suit, so Hannah must have dragged him out there after one of their doubles tournaments. Seems like the weird type of encounter that only happens in movies, doesn't it? I have no idea what he saw in those five minutes of watching me play, but I like to think that my music connected with him somehow.

I called him a few days later from a payphone, and after scrounging up the last of my funds, I took the ferry to Lilycove. He told me that I could start working if I got a shave and a haircut.

* * *

Once Brandon had finished recounting his turbulent story, he retreated into a focused silence, and stroked much more delicately at the remaining scrapes on my back. With his other hand, he discarded another disinfectant wipe onto the sprawling pile. Most of them had been tinged brown or green, and thinking about the dirt and grass that had been festering on my skin was enough to make me feel woozy. I found it increasingly difficult to stay motionless, as a stiff, distracting ache had seeped into my shoulders. A majority of his words had morphed into an unintelligible ocean of details, especially towards the end. The thing that stuck with me the most was the hardship that he faced during his teenagerhood, since it was the catalyst for all of the shady business in Unova. I wondered how different Brandon would be if he had never experienced bullying and the subsequent home-schooling. Sure, it had caused him to follow a path of deviance for a few years, but it had been the reason for him to seek self-improvement. Like always, my stupid, overanalysing mind kept me preoccupied. My dry tongue locked in place, preventing even a sigh of acknowledgement. I should say something to him. Anything.

"I think I should take up kickboxing again," Brandon commented, after he realised that I had been paralysed by indecision. Searing guilt bubbled away in my belly, as I could tell that he was expecting something more from me. He ruffled at my overgrown hair, and then crashed down onto a pillow in front of me. I noticed that his eyes were back to their usual, tender glow, as he gave me an awkward, lopsided smile. The only opinion that made it to the surface was my desire to see his hair in a topknot. "It's been a couple years since I attended a course or any sparring matches. Talking about my past again made me realise that I've been lacking an outlet for my rage since moving back to Hoenn. That's why I've been… violent recently."

"How much has ambrosia been researched?" I asked, surprised that the question had been the only one to leap across every hurdle. Brandon seemed somewhat puzzled at the sudden non-sequitur. He scratched at his stubble, with a hand that had shrivelled from all of the moisture now daubed across my wounds. I scrambled to clarify my point. "Julian said that it was made in Sinnoh, but it's not produced commercially anywhere, is it? That means a company hasn't tested all of its effects on behaviour. I've read that aggression and sexual desire are controlled in the same area of the brain. For you, ambrosia might exacerbate those feelings even more."

"For being fresh out of highschool, you sure know a lot," he teased, leaning on one of his elbows, like he was a girl gossiping at a sleepover. "According to Ronan, there's lots of weird science in the reaction between Blissey eggs and alcohol. It does appear to bring out a more dominant side in the guys that drink it. Remember, at Katie's? You forced Britney to choke on your cock, and even flipped the tables on Maxxie. You're not normally like that, right?"

"I don't know what I'm normally like," I groaned, after leaning forwards and hugging at my knees. Indra looked over at me with bemusement. "I was a virgin before meeting all of you."

"Hmm… maybe we're more similar than I thought," he replied, gaze falling to the Pikachu blanket that was covering my torso. "Alex, I know it sounds a bit strange coming from me, but you better be careful with how you approach sex. Jumping head-first into the deep end of kinky stuff and poképhilia seems like fun at first, but it can change you. You've gotta find a balance to these things, you know? For every alcohol-fuelled orgy, there needs to be a night of cuddling and missionary. I'm broken beyond repair, but there's still hope for you, okay?"

"Arceus, this is such a heavy topic for a Sunday morning," I sighed, trying to resist the urge to awkwardly scratch at my wounded back. Brandon calling himself broken didn't sit right with me, but I didn't have the energy to call him out on it. "You're right, though. Well, right on the balance stuff, at least. Julian gave me a mini-lecture on the dangers of working at the ranch, and I can't really ignore advice from both of you. Missionary will be next on the list."

"Camping gives us the perfect excuse to talk about deep topics," he grinned, in an admirable attempt to keep the atmosphere light-hearted. He seemed to grow more restless, as he started to toss around one of the empty bottles. Carpenters probably liked to keep their hands busy. "But anyway, it sounds like you have a good head on your shoulders, so you'll be fine once things at the ranch calm down. Is there anything else you wanna ask before Zack gets back?"

"Hmm… nothing really comes to mind," I yawned, catching a glimpse of the Emolga through the opened tent flap. It looked as if he was struggling to keep up with Dominic, since his evolution had granted him an extra burst of strength and agility. Their shadows rushed across one of the gaps in the tent. Absentmindedly, my eyes settled upon a Pikachu plushie that had been propped lovingly in the corner. Brandon had it at Katie's too. "Actually, it's not that important, but something has been bugging me for a while. What's with the Pikachu stuff?"

"Do I need to have a good reason?" he chuckled, a faint blush spreading to his golden cheeks. He took to cleaning his glasses, even though I could see that they were spotless. "My parents used to breed a lot of them for clients, back in Mauville. They just make me happy. I dunno!"

"That plushie looks like he's been through quite a lot," I remarked, after curiously pointing to the toy. The thing clearly hadn't been washed in years, and one of its ears had been stitched back in place with thick, blue thread. Brandon blushed even harder, even though it shouldn't be something to be embarrassed about. "I'm not making fun of you or anything. I still keep a security blanket under my pillow, so you're in good company here. Does he have a name…?"

"I would rather talk about the bullying than this," he mumbled, after burying his red face into his hands. That was one way to smudge his glasses. I was about to get worried for a moment, before he emerged, with an uncontrollable smile. "The Pikachus that I grew up around all had names to do with spices and condiments, so he's called Pepper. He really means a lot to me."

"That's an adorable name. I'm glad that we've finally been introduced," I beamed, waving over to the dirty, motionless Pikachu. From a mixture of intuition and experience, I knew that the plushie provided him with a lot of mental comfort. From the sounds of it, his parents were still staying over in Unova, so it must be a nice reminder of them. It was easy to get attached to memories of a happier time. Memories of a whole family. Before I had even realized it, a lump had formed in my throat, and my smile faded. I managed to conceal the sudden grief by tidying away some of the emergency supplies next to me. I noticed that there was a package of dusty, unused Pokéballs at the bottom of the box. "Okay, I think that's the last question."

"Good to hear, because Zack is probably going crazy out there," he admitted, finally crushing the bottle between his muscled hands. He threw it down next to the others, and gave Indra a final scratch behind the ears. He seemed to be worried that the Emolga would get himself into danger if he was unsupervised. Given the events of last night, his restlessness was warranted. Even though he had an urgent spring in his step, he stopped to help me organise the last of the medical supplies. "Usually, I take him to an overlook in the mornings. It has a beautiful view of Route 119, and it lets him practice his gliding. Since there's a bunch of Poochyena running around, it's probably not worth the risk. We'll just play tag with him at the campsite instead."

Suddenly, the entrance to the tent wobbled. Brandon dropped a box of plasters, and whirled around to face the intruder. He was on high alert, as his body had reacted before I had the chance to blink. One second, he was squatting. The next, he was poised in a fierce stance. These were the trained reflexes of a kickboxer. My view had been obscured by his glorious, sculpted thighs, which wasn't the worst thing in the world. I stretched my neck past the man's rear end, expecting to find a disappointed Emolga standing in the tent's threshold. We would probably have to deal with a teary tantrum. However, all that I could discern was a patch of black and white stripes, which were dappled by the sunlight. Concerned eyes stared back at us both, as Dominic bowed his head. The prongs atop his head sparked with nervous energy.

"Brandon… we need your help with something," the Zebstrika began, restraining his new voice into a hoarse whisper. He glanced uneasily in the direction of the river, and reverted back to the frightened posture of a Blitzle. "There's a Deerling at the edge of the clearing. Zackary's trying to speak with him, but he won't say anything back. We think he's injured."

Seconds of silence ticked by, as we both processed his words. Dominic's tone was reluctant and honest, but he almost sounded unbelievable. My conversation with Brandon had lasted for so long that it felt like the outside world had melted away. His request was an unpleasant kick back to reality for me. We were inside a forest, that was notorious for its high number of disappearances and Pokémon attacks. In fact, this could have been the forest that Wren lived in before he found the ranch. I was reminded of the Sneasel, ravenous with hunger, standing over the Lillipup that he injured. Paralysed by the idea of another crisis, I struggled to get up. Acting quickly, Brandon reached down and offered me a reliable hand. Ignoring the pain that came with moving my back, I grasped onto it. He pulled me to my feet like I was weightless.

"Wait… a Deerling?" I repeated, as we all started to pour back out of the tent. At the mention of yet another injury, Brandon had already grabbed the first-aid kit. His expression sharpened into something far more serious, close to his detached, dominant scowl. My legs felt sluggish and unsteady from being crossed for so long, so I was the last one to fumble onto the ground. Instead of rushing to his trainer's side, Indra had stayed behind to make sure that I was okay.

"You've probably read that they're native to Unova, right?" Brandon asked, ignoring his wet, discarded clothes and striding over to the riverbank. I could see Zackary in the distance, who was enamoured with something in the treeline. Hesitantly, I trailed behind the muscled giant. Clothes were an afterthought for him, but I would have felt much safer if my cock wasn't on full display to the morning breeze. I gave a yearning glance towards my boxers and shivered. "Groups of them have been spotted in Hoenn, too. I've heard that hunters brought them over, since they were tired of shooting at Swellow every day. Let's hope it's not a bullet wound…"

"No, that's not it," Indra stated. There was a grating hint of guilt in his voice. As we started to get closer to the Emolga, his ears drooped downwards. "Last night, the Mightyena mentioned something about a Deerling. The pack must have been hunting him, before I distracted them."

We continued on in troubled silence. Brandon seemed to have a knowledge of medicines and basic first-aid, but that would only take us so far. I had seen a couple of Potions tucked away in the emergency supplies, but they were only a temporary measure. Injured Pokémon had to be treated by professionals in a Centre, but we were miles from one. Both of us broke out into a panicked jog, until we reached the Emolga at the edge of the river. I had expected him to greet us with a squeal that would startle the wounded Deerling into fleeing, but he remained surprisingly docile. He waved reassuringly at the trees on the other side of the gushing river. The water flowed with much more potency than it did yesterday, as our naked bodies were sprayed with white, freezing foam. My teeth chattered, and I carefully took a few steps back. At first, I thought nothing was over there, and Zackary had just been playing a mean-spirited prank on us. However, once my eyes adjusted to the dense covering of foliage, I realised that a slender Pokémon had been crouched in plain sight. His wet, glistening eyes gave him away.

Other than that, his camouflage was impeccable. His vibrant, green coat had been speckled with orange spots that signalled autumn's arrival. After a bluster of wind, a brownish leaf fluttered down from the trees above him, and landed on his back. I couldn't see much of a problem with the Deerling, other than his fearful gaze. His body stiffened as we came to a halt inside his field of view, and that's when I noticed his posture was crooked and unnatural. One of his rear legs was hovering off of the grass, as he refused to put weight onto it for any longer than a few seconds. However, he was facing us head-on. I couldn't get a good look at his haunches to see if they were actually damaged. We had reached a stalemate. Any sudden movements could cause him to bolt, as most prey species disliked any contact with humans.

"Here are the friends that I was telling you about!" the Emolga squeaked. His boisterous tone had been lightened, as if he was trying his hardest to whisper. It was still louder than anything that would be appropriate for the situation. The Deerling flinched, but didn't move. It seemed like he was desperately trying to seek assistance, against his instincts. However, there wasn't a safe way for him to cross the river. "Have you ever seen a human before? The one with the big willy is called Brandon! He's my trainer, and he always makes me feel better if I'm hurt!"

"Zack, we can take it from here," Brandon sighed, kneeling down and placing a finger gently onto the Emolga's mouth. He understood, and immediately fell silent again. I couldn't help but smirk, even as the nervousness had settled in to make me feel nauseous. His simple words made him more endearing, but they wouldn't help in our negotiations. Dominic should have been the one to stay with the Deerling, as even with his anxious nature, he was more sensible.

"Remember, Devon's translators don't work on wild Pokémon," I whispered, keeping my eyes locked on the cautious Deerling. I thought back to the way that Hannah acted around Pokémon that she was unfamiliar with. When dealing with Eloise's mother, she had raised her arms up to show that she wasn't a threat. However, my arms didn't move. I wasn't going to do anything until Brandon came to a decision. "We'll be counting on you guys to translate if the Deerling does say something. Indra, do you remember anything else from last night?"

"Nothing else that relates to him…" the Manectric replied. He kept himself hidden behind Brandon and Dominic, which was a clever move. He looked the most like a predator, so he would only unsettle the Deerling further with his appearance. As the electric wolf trailed off, his sensitive nose started to twitch. He seemed to become enthralled by a scent, as his eyelids fluttered in time with the sound of frantic sniffing. Quickly, Brandon clicked his fingers, and snapped his partner out of the animalistic trance. Indra cleared his throat, and the guilty frown returned on his snout. "The pack must have been successful in wounding him. He smells like sweat and blood, but it's not fresh. It's a surprise they haven't tracked him to finish the job."

"We can always count on your nose, at least…" Brandon muttered, while he slowly opened the box of medical supplies. The Deerling probably felt safe on the other side of the river, so as long as we didn't suddenly cross over, he wouldn't move. Only taking his eyes off of the Deerling for a few moments at a time, Brandon quietly sorted out everything that he needed. He handed me the items that would not be useful in treating the grass type's injuries. I missed having pockets, as I struggled to fit everything in my arms. The last thing that he gave to me was the packet of inactive Pokéballs. "Okay, here's the plan. There's no easy way around the river, so I'm going to have to jump over it. If the Deerling runs away, then we all follow him. He won't get very far on that leg, and a few minutes of fear and pain for him is much better than dying out here. Once he tires out, I'll be able to assess the damage and help him. Got it?"

"You need all of us to follow?" I clarified, looking back at Zackary, who had become rather interested in a passing kaleidoscope of Beautiflies. He seemed like more of a liability than an asset when chasing something. The swarm of bug Pokémon fluttered over to the silver bucket of berry cores that Brandon had left out. The Emolga obviously wanted to go play with them.

"The more the merrier," he replied, with a confident smile. He wrapped a never-ending roll of bandages around his brawny arm, only so he could unwrap them for later use on the Deerling. His ability to stay calm in an emergency put me at ease. "There's always a chance that I lose sight of him, which is where Indra's nose comes in. Alex, you'll be there for moral support."

Before I could give Brandon a snarky reply, a metallic noise echoed through the clearing, as loud and clear as a gunshot. I nearly jumped out of my skin and dived to take cover behind Dominic's resilient hide. The Zebstrika bravely planted his hooves into the ground to shield me, instead of galloping away like usual. We searched wildly around for the source, only to find that the Beautiflies had knocked over the bucket, trying to snack on the remnants of the Cheri berries lying at the bottom. The unnatural noise spooked them into flying away, right towards where the Deerling had been hiding. We each swore to varying degrees, as the grass type bounced in alarm, and hobbled off into the trees. I managed to catch a blurred glimpse of the injury on his left haunch. Three, deep wounds had been slashed into the flesh on his rump. Indra's senses had been accurate, as the chasmal gouges weren't actively bleeding anymore.

"Argh! You stupid fucking bugs!" Brandon exploded, shooing away the rest of the startled Beautiflies into evacuating the campsite. An avalanche of medical supplies tumbled from his arms. His earlier calmness had been another mask that he used to disguise his true emotions. His dominant outbursts from last night didn't compare to this type of anger. After scrambling to pick up most of the items that he dropped, he cleared the length of the violent river as if it had been a puddle. He motioned for us to do the same with a glare. "Indra, I need you to take the lead now! Keep tracking the Deerling's scent, and we'll have to focus on following you!"

Wordlessly, Indra jumped across the river. The muscled giant and his starter disappeared into the bushes, as they believed that the rest of us would be behind them. In his haste, Brandon had forgotten about my injuries. I could probably jump across the river without a problem if I was in peak condition. However, my muscles were still sore from the pounding they received last night. My heartbeat thundered in my ears, as I stared down at the lashes of choppy water. With my confidence rapidly dwindling, I didn't have much of a chance of joining them both, unless I took a huge risk. Potential scenarios invaded my nervous mind. If I was the only one to stay behind, then I could be savaged by the pack of Poochyena that roamed the dark forest. If I asked Zackary and Dominic to stay behind, then Brandon could be left without protection if he found himself separated from Indra. All of this stress… just to help an injured Deerling.

"Alex, hurry and climb on!" Zackary called, sitting atop a Zebstrika, who's electric-blue eyes had been sharpened with resolve and maturity. The squirrel patted urgently at the white, wiry hair that traced the length of Dominic's spine. His flanged tail whipped through the air, as he crouched down to give me easier access onto his back. For a moment, I looked at them both like they were insane. Bareback riding was dangerous, and I was worried about the precious jewels dangling between my legs. "Don't worry, Brandon's been teaching us all about safety! You'll need to sit forwards, and grab tightly onto his mane. Stay relaxed, we'll do the work!"

There was an earnest look in the Emolga's eyes that I couldn't ignore. Convinced by his rare display of wisdom, I clambered onto Dominic's back. For some reason, I was still clutching tightly onto the box of Pokéballs. I couldn't escape the thought that I would have to use them. After shamelessly swinging my legs around, I was no longer on the ground. The instant that my bare skin brushed against his leathery hide, a tingle of electricity surged into my veins. The feeling wasn't entirely unpleasant, especially once I settled into position behind his wide, muscled shoulders. The stimulating buzz didn't seem to fade, and massaged my inner thighs. In a more relaxed situation, it probably would have been enough to arouse me. There was a certain kind of pleasure that came to mounting an equine Pokémon without any clothes on. As the static energy pulled on every hair that coated my body, I leaned forwards and gripped onto the zebra's vivid mane. Zackary hugged at my reddened back with childish enthusiasm.

"Okay, full speed ahead!" the Emolga ordered, spurring his steed into a gallop with nothing but a few taps from his tiny heels. Things rapidly became more unpleasant, as the bones in my body thumped uncomfortably against the Zebstrika. "We should catch up to them soon!"

I was stunned by how much power Dominic put behind every hoofbeat. The earth tremored beneath the zebra's legs, and turned into a springy trampoline. It only took a few seconds for us to reach the edge of the river, and he didn't hesitate or slow down. Shots of adrenaline kept my eyes open, as we soared over the deadly torrent of water. My stomach felt like it had just been turned inside-out, and I was thankful that it was empty. Carousel rides made me queasy.

The wind whipped against my ears, and muffled the sound of Zackary's cheering. After what seemed to be an eternity, we finally impacted the ground. My unprotected body crashed into the Zebstrika's spine, and it felt like needles had been stabbed into my groin. Of course, the most delicate parts of a man's body took the brunt of the landing. All I could do was bite my tongue, as I sent a silent prayer up to Arceus. He had better preserve my ability to have kids. Neither of the electric types could sense my intense pain, as we continued to gallop further into the bushes. Through cloudy eyes, I had to keep my head low and weave past branches.

"I can't see them anywhere!" Dominic shouted, his voice parting the rushing winds like a fierce clap of thunder. He was right. I had been expecting to see Brandon tailing after Indra somewhere in the distance, but they had already vanished behind the layers of undergrowth. It had been foolish of us to think that we could find them again, this deep inside of the forest. The Zebstrika slowed down to a confused canter, as he examined dirty footprints and broken twigs. "My nose isn't as good as Indra's, so the only thing that I can smell is blood from the Deerling. I'll just have to follow that, and hope that we find them along the way. Hold on!"

Before he had even finished speaking, he darted back into a sprint. The knuckles on my free hand whitened, as I pulled his mane closer. Using his bristly hairs like a pair of reins, I had no choice but to force his movements away from the trees which came close to decapitating me. Dominic was stubborn about following his own path through the forest, which caused a few of the stray branches to nick away at my shoulders and elbows. He was tracking the scent as best he could, so I couldn't blame him for that. I was already covered head-to-toe in scrapes, so I didn't really care about these new ones. Slowly, the lukewarm sunlight dwindled away as we carved our way deeper into the forest. Every so often, I would catch a glimpse of a figure, only to realise that the darkness was playing tricks on my eyes. Zackary seemed to have the same issue, as he called out Brandon's name a couple of times. We still hadn't found them…

Suddenly, Dominic came screeching to a halt. We barrelled across a gap in the trees, and I was nearly sent tumbling to the ground. The Zebstrika's ears twitched, as a strange noise echoed from somewhere close by. After looking around with unsettled curiosity, I realised that he had trotted across a sticky puddle of coagulated blood. Hoofprints which must have belonged to the Deerling had been stamped through the dark area, and the surrounding leaves had been speckled a reddish-brown. This had to be the grass type's hideaway, where he came to recuperate after being wounded. A frown spread across my face. It was likely that he had tried to return here, since it was where he felt the safest. However, something stopped him. Predators from miles around would be able to sniff this place out, and the smarter ones would set an ambush for the Deerling when he returned. Dark types had that kind of tactical prowess.

The noise reverberated against the trees again. Zackary whimpered, and buried his face into the sensitive skin on my back. Since we had stopped moving, I had the freedom to reach back and tussle the squirrel's ears, to comfort him a little. It sounded like a horrific combination of growling and laughter, that repeated in a chorus. I thought back to Indra's observations as we tried to speak with the Deerling, and that was enough to allow the fragments to fit together. My shoulders sank with regret, and my heart ached. We couldn't find the Deerling, because there was no Deerling to find anymore. I mourned the loss in grave silence, as the predatory baying only grew more fevered and celebratory. But then, the bushes next to us collapsed.

A bellowing group of Poochyenas rushed out of the shrubbery, as the Deerling desperately attempted to limp away from them. Somehow, he had managed to evade their advances, and made it back to this shaded sanctuary alive. His eyes were aflame with the desire to survive. My hands fumbled with the packet of Pokéballs at my side, as the dark types surrounded us. Dominic snorted in defiance. He wasn't able to use an electrical attack, because I was still cowering on his back. During the whirlwind of chaos, I noticed that a Poochyena with a torn ear had been tangled up in thin, green vines, which were connected to undulating seedlings. They prodded into his coat, and sapped at his energy, as he struggled to direct his packmates. Denied the satisfaction of sinking their teeth into injured flesh, they were angry and ravenous.

Seeing that the frightened Deerling had fired off a Leech Seed at his pursuers was the last push that I needed. With urgent clumsiness, I ripped the box of Pokéballs apart, and clicked the button on the first one which fell into my palms. The remaining orbs rained down onto the grass, and stunned the Poochyenas into inaction. Dominic charged forwards, clearing the path until I managed to get an unobstructed view of the grass type. Trainers were meant to practice their capturing throw, but I had never expected to become one. The best I could manage was a feeble toss, which was rather embarrassing. The Pokéball soared through the air, and then bonked the Deerling on the head. Surprised, he dissolved into an implosion of crimson lights.

My eyes had adjusted to the darkness of the forest, so the intense brilliance had blinded me for a few, alarming seconds. Dominic's charged petered off, and he swerved around, so we would be facing the bloodied entrance to the hideaway. I rapidly blinked and massaged at my eyes, trying to coax my vision back. They should really change the brightness of Pokéballs. The scenery returned to me in oscillating waves, and I felt a dominant roar blast into my ears. Thunderous flashes of blue and yellow streaked across the ground, sending countless bodies fleeing back into the trees. Once I was finally able to see again, I was staring down at Indra, who snarled at a single, remaining Poochyena. The one with the torn ear gave him a violent glare, before stalking back into the shadows. Last night, they had seen the Manectric tear out the throat of their pack-leader, so they wouldn't dare to challenge him. The clearing was safe.

Following the sparks of electricity, Brandon emerged from the trees. He grasped onto a trunk for support, as he tried to find his breath. His bare feet had been scraped into messes of grime and blood, but he was unharmed. I couldn't imagine the level of pain that came with sprinting through a forest without any shoes on. The muscled giant stared at us in blatant astonishment, as he approached the Pokéball that was quivering in the grass. Seeing my nude body mounted on his Zebstrika was probably the last thing he had been expecting. A hopeful silence returned to the hideaway, as we convened around the vibrating orb. From long years of loneliness, I had grown spiteful at those who could capture their own Pokémon. However, a sensation of child-like excitement made that discomfort melt away. Sliding from Dominic's warm back, I counted the rhythm that everyone on this planet knew, even if they hated the idea of training.

One.

Two.

Three.

The Pokéball stopped shaking.


End file.
